True Sight
by Neuropsych
Summary: (COMPLETE) Jack goes to a carnival and meets up with someone... odd (JackSamGinaJaffer)
1. 01

_True Sight_  
  
Author's Note: I debated for quite a while whether I wanted to make this a Campers! Story or if I just wanted to make it a regular story. It's a little off the wall, and I wasn't positive I wanted to associate this story with the AU that I've developed for so long that it seems to have a life of its own. But I like the idea of the story, and I decided that if I use the Campers! AU then I can put in elements that I couldn't use otherwise. (Like Jaffer and Gina) So! It's not going to be a long story. There's very little plot, so consider yourself warned.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1 or all that, but I get to lay claim to Gina and Jaffer, and any of the people I make up along the way.   
  
......................  
  
"I _need_ that."  
  
A low growl was the only response he received, and Jack O'Neill tugged once more on the brush.  
  
"Give it to me before I turn you into a rug..."  
  
Another growl, but the teeth that were holding the brush didn't budge, and no matter how hard he tugged, there was no way he was going to get it back. Jack scowled, but he didn't mean it, and the playful gleam in Jaffer's brown eyes plainly showed that he knew it quite well.  
  
"Anyone ever tell you you're _stubborn_?" He asked, tugging once more on the brush, then giving up and spraying water over the black lab's face. This didn't bother Jaffer, either. He loved the water. He closed his eyes and leaned into the spray.  
  
It was Saturday morning and the two of them were in Jack's bathroom. The bathtub was filled with warm water, and Jaffer was sitting in the middle of it, more than willing to be bathed. But, it was also playtime as far as the lab was concerned, and the brush was only the latest in a series of items that Jaffer had taken from Jack. First it had been the bottle of dog shampoo. Then the spray nozzle that Jack used to rinse Jaffer off. Then it had been the wash cloth. Now it was the brush, and undoubtedly the towel he was planning on drying him with would be the final straw.  
  
Jack didn't care. He loved quiet moments like these with Jaffer, even when they weren't really all that quiet sometimes. The two of them had their share of excitement during the week that it was nice to take a break, and enjoy each other's company. Even if it meant stripping himself practically naked and giving the dog a bath. A long overdue bath.  
  
Jack dropped the spray nozzle, and grabbed the soap before Jaffer could figure out that he was going to, and started lathering the black lab's wet hide again. He rubbed it in good, making a massage session out of it since he knew that Jaffer liked it, and the big dog responded by closing his eyes in bliss and dropping the brush from his mouth. It landed with a splash in the water, and Jack was splashed, but since he wasn't wearing a shirt, he didn't care. He'd dry.  
  
Just as he'd finished soaping the dog up, he heard a faint knock coming from the front door. Jaffer heard it, too. The brown eyes opened, and his head turned towards the door.  
  
"No. Don't even _think_ about it."  
  
It was too late. Jaffer had already thought about it. Thought about it and was acting on it. O'Neill could tell by the way the muscles under his fingers tensed, and by the way Jaffer started looking at the door.  
  
Jack moved quickly, blocking the black lab's path, and he promptly slipped in a puddle of water from an earlier wrestling match. Jaffer took advantage of the distraction, and leaped out of the tub, right over Jack, who reached up and grabbed the lab around the chest, dragging him down to the floor.  
  
"Jaffer! _No_!"  
  
He couldn't hold him, of course. The dog was soapy and slick, and Jack didn't have any leverage at all. He'd taken Jaffer's collar off when he'd started the bath, so he didn't even have that to grab onto. Tail wagging furiously when he heard another knock, the lab struggled in Jack's arms and finally wormed his way free. Dripping water and soap, he scrambled to his feet and ran out of the bathroom, leaving Jack lying on the floor in a wet mess, his chest and arms covered with soap, and his face and hair smeared with dog shampoo. He wasn't hurt, though. Jaffer would never hurt him, not intentionally. No matter how desperate he was to get to the door and se who was there knocking. Jack got to his feet, mumbling about how nice it'd be to have a black fur coat, and slipped once more on his way down the hall.  
  
Jaffer was waiting at the door, watching Jack expectantly, his tail wagging and spraying water all over the entrance hall. There was another knock.  
  
"I'm coming!"  
  
He opened the door, and saw Sam standing there, looking lovely in jeans and a salmon colored blouse. Even better; standing next to her, wearing a similar outfit was Gina.  
  
Sam grinned when she saw Jack, and Gina couldn't help but smile as well. He was wearing a pair of shorts and nothing more – not even his dog tags. His chest was soapy, his hair was soapy, and he smelled like dog shampoo and was wearing a thunderous look of annoyance that didn't last long once he saw who was standing at the door. Jaffer was drenched as well. The black lab was soaked, the black hide smeared white with dog shampoo, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there had been a bath in progress. Although she wasn't sure who was bathing whom.  
  
"Are we interrupting?" Sam asked.  
  
"Of course not." He moved to the side and gestured for them to come in. "Watch out for the water on the floor," Jack warned them. Both he and Jaffer were leaving quite the puddles.  
  
They went into the living room, and Jaffer swarmed Gina, eager to say hello to the little girl. She was his favorite little girl in all the world, after all!  
  
The girl giggled, but tried to shy away from him when he pressed closer, wanting to be scratched. He was way too wet to be fun to pet just then.  
  
"Jaffer, back up, little man." Jack told him. "She's dry, let's keep her that way." _Someone_ might as well be.  
  
The black lab did what he was told immediately. He only pretended not to obey when it was he and Jack alone.  
  
"What are you guys doing tonight?" Sam asked him, reaching over and running her finger along his soapy chest. Gina giggled when she realized Sam was writing her name.  
  
"Nothing as far as I know." Jack answered, winking at the little girl. He didn't care what Sam did to him. "Why?"  
  
"We're going to go to the carnival!" Gina answered before Sam could open her mouth again, too excited to keep quiet. "Want to come?"  
  
"The carnival?" Jack looked at Sam, who was now drawing a heart around her name. She nodded.  
  
"Rides, and cotton candy and all sorts of games." Sam said. "You can win me a stuffed animal."  
  
"Please come, Jack..." Gina begged, her eyes dancing with good cheer and excitement at the thought of rides and cotton candy.  
  
"Of course we'll come."  
  
"Yay!!" She did a little happy dance, and Jack smiled and shook his head.  
  
"What time, Sam?"  
  
"About 4:00?"  
  
He looked down at Jaffer, and then at himself, and then at the mess of water and soap that trailed from the hallway back to the bathroom. Yeah. That'd be about right.  
  
"Sounds like a plan." 


	2. 02

Author's note: This chapter is a little transitional, so it might not be all that interesting. Just a warning.

...........................

Carter and Gina offered to stick around and help Jack clean up the mess Jaffer and he had made in the house, but Jack declined the offer. He told them he had a better chance of getting Jaffer bathed and the mess cleaned up if the two of them weren't there to distract the black lab. Not to mention Jack, himself. Sam smiled and agreed that he was probably right, and the two left only about fifteen minutes after they'd arrived, heading for a busy day of shopping.  
  
"Don't have dinner, Jack," Sam told him, kissing him softly, and smudging the artwork she'd left on his chest and belly. "We'll eat there."  
  
"Are you crazy?" He asked, smiling. "Ruin a chance to make myself sick eating a hundred corndogs and a pound of cotton candy? No way."  
  
He smiled at Gina, but didn't pull her into a hug, no matter how tempted he was to. She was dry, and he wasn't, and he supposed he could wait. Even though the girl was incredibly huggable.  
  
"I'll see you ladies later."  
  
"Wear more clothes Jack," Gina told him, grinning, as he walked with them down the sidewalk and to Sam's car, still soaked, but in good company since Jaffer was walking right beside him, and he was dripping more water than Jack was.  
  
"I will," he promised. He kissed Sam once more, and then opened the door for Gina while Carter went around to the driver's side.  
  
"Bye Jack."  
  
"Bye, honey."  
  
He waited until they'd driven away, and then looked down at Jaffer, who looked up at him, waiting to see what they were going to do now.  
  
"Well... I believe the score is Jaffer 1, Jack nothing." He said, reaching down and taking hold of the soapy black muzzle, and shaking it gently. "I think it's time we go see if I can even up the score somehow."  
  
Jack took off back to the house at a sprint, and with an excited woof Jaffer chased after him, his tail wagging happily. He was pretty sure he'd still be ahead by the end of the morning.  
  
..................  
  
By the time 4:00 came around, the house was dry and clean once more and Jack and Jaffer were both looking far more their normal selves. Once they'd finished their soapy water wrestling in the bathroom, Jack had sent Jaffer out into the backyard to dry in the sun and he'd taken an extra long shower, needing the extra time to get the smell of dog shampoo out of his hair. Then he'd spent about an hour grooming Jaffer until the fuzziness from his bath was gone and the black fur was smooth and shiny once more. Even better, since he no longer smelled of wet dog.  
  
Another hour had been spent cleaning the mess, but Jack didn't mind. The fun was worth the extra work, and mopping the floor by sliding a couple of towels along it with his foot was hardly a daunting task.  
  
Then he and Jaffer had grabbed a quick bite to eat. Despite what he'd told Sam, Jack really didn't want to make himself sick by eating a bunch of greasy fair food without something a little more substantial in his belly first. Besides, he and the black lab hadn't had lunch. They'd been too busy goofing off.  
  
They had sandwiches, because sandwiches are just the easiest things in the world to make, and they weren't messy, which is always a consideration when you're sharing your meal with a dog. Besides, Jack had already cleaned the bathroom, the hallway and the entranceway; he didn't want to have to clean the kitchen too.  
  
By the time Sam and Gina showed up, Jack was wearing jeans and a button down shirt, and was flopped down on the deck drinking a cup of coffee and watching Jaffer chase his shadow around the back yard.  
  
...................  
  
"We should have invited Shawn," Sam said softly as Jack opened the truck door at exactly 4:05 and moved to the side so Gina and Jaffer could scramble up into the club cab.  
  
"He's with James and Dotty, visiting James' mother," Jack said. "Otherwise I would have." Shawn got along fairly well with Gina, and the two would have had no problem having a good time on a day out with Sam and Jack. "Next time we'll take him."  
  
She smiled and got into the truck, looking back to make sure Gina had already buckled her seatbelt. The girl was ready; one hand pressed against the back of Jack's seat, the other hand buried in Jaffer's freshly washed fur.  
  
"Ready?" Jack asked, redundantly, as he got behind the wheel.  
  
Gina nodded excitedly, and he smiled. It was so hard to be anything but enthusiastic when he had her nearby.  
  
"Do you have to have her back home by any particular time?" He asked Sam.  
  
"She's spending the night, so we can stay out as late as we want."  
  
"Isn't that great, Jack?" Gina asked from behind him.  
  
"That is great."  
  
Really, it was.  
  
..................  
  
One of the best things about being in the Military was that Jack could take Jaffer pretty much anywhere he wanted to go. The black lab was so well trained that he'd easily pass for a service dog, which was how Jack usually managed to bring him along with him to places that normally a dog wouldn't be allowed. The carnival was no exception. If everyone took their dogs to the carnival with them, it'd end up in chaos, dogs running around being chased by people, or even worse, chasing other people or starting fights with other dogs. But Jaffer was well trained, and Jack had his leash in the truck, so when they got to the gate at the fair grounds, he had the black lab at perfect heel next to him on his leash, and flashed his Military ID at the ticket taker, telling him that he was a guard dog, and could be trusted to not cause trouble.  
  
Which was only partially true.  
  
The ticket taker shrugged. As far as he was concerned, the more well trained dogs the better, because dogs patrolling the grounds with handlers, ready to chase down any would-be trouble makers was one of the best deterrents there was when it came to keeping people from actually causing trouble. Especially when the dogs were big like the black lab on the leash was. Who was going to pick a fight when someone was nearby with a dog like that?  
  
He took their tickets, reminded Jack to keep Jaffer on his leash, and waved them through the gate and into the bustle of what had to be one of the biggest carnivals Jack had ever been to.


	3. 03

Author's Note: The timing on this one doesn't matter too much to the integrity of the story, but we'll say it's after the engagement, just so Sam can show off her ring if she wants to. For those who aren't really keeping track, this would make Gina about 13. (They grow up so quickly.... Sigh)  
  
......................  
  
"What do you want to do first?" He asked as the four of them passed through the main gate.  
  
"Rides!" Gina squealed.  
  
Sam smiled, looking at Jack.  
  
"Rides?"  
  
He shrugged, more than willing to do whatever they wanted.  
  
"Rides it is."  
  
_He_ didn't ride on any rides. For one thing, he didn't really care for the rides all that much. An Air Force pilot who can fly anything that moves and has flown in countless alien spacecraft just has a hard time getting a thrill out of riding on a roller coaster or a Zipper. Instead, he was the designated purse holder, and dog watcher while Gina and Sam rode every ride on the strip.  
  
They worked their way down the lines methodically, Gina talking animatedly about whatever ride they happened to be in line for, and Sam nodding her own agreement and adding in her own opinions. Carter was far more enthused about the rides than Jack, and it showed. Luckily, he had a handy excuse in Jaffer not to ride – since he wasn't really sure how Jaffer would react to Jack getting on a machine and being whizzed away with the dog right there – so Gina didn't even suspect that Jack preferred to stay on the ground.  
  
However, while Sam and Gina rode the rides, Jack and Jaffer made their way through the long lines of concession stands that were all over the ride area. Every time the girls would get off a ride, Jack would be eating a different kind of food, and Jaffer showed obvious signs of having just completed the same snack Jack was eating. By the time Sam and Gina got off the Gravitron, Jack and Jaffer had sampled pretty much everything the carnival had to offer by way of food. Of course, by sharing whatever it was with Jaffer, Jack managed not to eat too much of any one thing which kept him from making himself sick. Jaffer could never eat himself sick by quantity alone, especially since he wasn't getting full helpings, so that wasn't even a concern, although Jack made sure the black lab didn't get anything that was too bad for him. Like chocolate.  
  
They were sitting on a bench when Sam and Gina walked over to them. Jack was just finishing up a slice of pizza, with Sam's purse in his lap and Gina's little purse slung around Jaffer's neck. The two came over and sat down on either side of O'Neill, who offered them both a bite, but they declined.  
  
"Ugh, I don't think I'll ever be able to eat," Gina said, holding her stomach and pretending to be sick. "I didn't know that ride spins you so fast."  
  
Jack finished his slice while they got their equilibrium back, and then asked what they wanted to do next. It was still early, after all, and there was a lot left to see.  
  
"How about some games?" Sam suggested. "_You_ still have to win me a stuffed animal."  
  
"Me, too, Jack."  
  
Great. He rolled his eyes and handed Sam back her purse, then handed Gina hers and stood up.  
  
"Games it is. Although, for the record, I've _never_ won a prize at any carnival game. Ever. They're rigged, you know?"  
  
"They are not," Sam said, smiling. She put her arm through Jack's, and held Gina's hand with the other one as the four of them walked away from the rides section of the midway and headed for the games. "They're easy if you take into account the physics of exactly how you need to throw a ball, or a dart, or whatever. You just need the right angle to make sure that-"  
  
"Why don't _you_ win _me_ a stuffed animal, then?" Jack said cutting her off with a smile instead of the normal scowl he would have used when she started off on her tech-talk. He still didn't want to hear about angles and loft. Not if he really didn't have to.  
  
"Fine."  
  
She proceeded to do just that. The very first game table they walked up to, Sam tossed three rings in a row onto various coke bottles and won a huge stuffed polar bear. Jack shook his head, and handed it over to Gina with a smile. The thing was pretty much as big as Gina was and she took it eagerly. Jaffer sniffed it suspiciously, trying to figure out what it was supposed to be and why it was suddenly part of the group he was in charge of.  
  
At the next table, Carter proved that the polar bear wasn't a fluke. She knocked over three cans with a softball and Jack was handed an incredibly large stuffed monkey. When he tried to pass this one over to Gina, the girl shrugged helplessly. She could barely hold the polar bear; there was no way she was going to be able to hold the monkey, too.  
  
Sam smiled, and tossed three softballs into a tilted basket at the next game, and once more a large stuffed animal was passed over to the group. This one was a large stuffed black lab, and Jack had to admit he liked it enough that he didn't mind carrying it. The monkey was put on Jaffer's back where it rode easily with Gina holding it up to keep it balanced while she held the polar bear, and Jack held the stuffed black lab in one arm and Jaffer's leash with the other hand as they walked towards the next table.  
  
"You can't win anymore, Sam," Jack said as the Carney who was behind the game table took a worried look at all the prizes they'd already won. He was fairly certain he was about to part with a large prize as well. "We'll never be able to carry it."  
  
"But it's so much fun..."  
  
"Show off."  
  
She laughed, and decided that he was right about their carrying capacity. Who knew how long Jaffer was going to put up with being a horse for a monkey rider, and when the black lab decided he'd had enough, Sam would end up carrying it around. They didn't have enough hands for her to win anything else just then. She shrugged at the Carney who'd been watching them, and they bypassed the table, walking instead towards yet another concession stand.  
  
"Then we'll get something to eat, and decide what we want to do next." She looked over at Gina, who was pretty much hidden by the monkey that was being carried by Jaffer.  
  
"Are you ready to eat yet?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Jack took the polar bear from Gina, carrying it by the leg in the same arm that was holding the stuffed dog, and then took over balancing the monkey on Jaffer's back.  
  
"We'll get a picnic table." He told them. "You two get in line."  
  
"You want anything?" Sam asked.  
  
"Of course!" He didn't tell her what, though, figuring she'd bring him something good no matter what she decided to get, and loaded down with stuffed animals and drawing stares from everyone in the area, he and Jaffer went over to one of the few empty picnic tables.  
  
"_I_ could have won these, you know?" Jack said to Jaffer as he put the monkey on the table next to the polar bear and the stuffed dog and then sat down with an exaggerated sigh. "I just wanted Sam to... feel special."  
  
Jaffer snorted. He didn't believe him. That was okay, though. It wasn't true. 


	4. 04

They had their dinner as the sun began to lower in the sky, causing the shadows of the brightly colored tents and stands to stretch out into weird designs on the ground and across the expanses of the other tents. It was shaping up to be a beautiful evening, and Jack leaned against his stuffed black lab while he held an ice cream cone out to Jaffer so the big dog could eat it at his leisure while Sam and Gina finished their gyros. Jack had nibbled a bit on Sam's, but he wasn't hungry, and really didn't have any room for much more to eat. Jaffer on the other hand, had eyed the ice cream cone Gina handed to Jack with such longing that after a couple bites, Jack had given in and shared it. Jaffer loved ice cream. And Jack loved Jaffer. So it worked out about right.  
  
Gina was looking around while she ate, reading all the signs of various displays that were being shown.  
  
"Look Jack," she said, pointing with her free hand. "There's supposed to be the world's largest alligator in that tent."  
  
He looked over, seeing a small line of people who were waiting for a chance to pay a dollar to witness the fearsome beast.  
  
"You want to see it?" He asked. He'd take her if she wanted, although he wouldn't take Jaffer. Sam could hold the black lab. And the monkey, and the polar bear, and the stuffed dog.  
  
Gina shrugged. "Maybe."  
  
She looked at the next tent, which was the world's largest steer.  
  
"What's a steer?"  
  
"A cow."  
  
"Why isn't it called a cow, then?"  
  
"It's a boy cow, Gina," Sam told her.  
  
"Like a bull?"  
  
Jack nodded, watching Jaffer carefully now, since the black lab had eaten the ice cream all the way to the cone, and his teeth were fairly close to Jack's fingers now. Not that he was really worried about getting nipped, but accidents did happen, right?  
  
"What's the difference between a bull and a steer?" Gina asked.  
  
Yeah, _that_ wasn't something Jack wanted to get into. He pretended to have missed the question, leaving it for Sam to answer, and the scowl Carter shot him was one that told him she knew exactly what he'd done.  
  
"A bull can... um..." Sam looked around, trying to find a distraction. Anything. What she saw was perfect. She pointed to another tent, this one bright red and outlandishly decorated with spangles and moons and stars. "Look! A Palm Reader. Why don't we go get our fortunes told?"  
  
"What?" Jack looked over as well, just as Jaffer snatched the last bit of cone out of his hand and munched it down. "I don't-"  
  
"Oh, that'd be _fun_!" Gina said, neatly diverted from her original question, much to Sam's relief.  
  
"It's not _real_, honey," Jack told the girl. "They just make stuff up that they think you want to hear."  
  
"Gina, I'll take you if you want to go," Sam offered, noting the crestfallen look on the girl's face.  
  
Jack had noticed, too, and he inwardly sighed, knowing he'd blown that one. Sometimes it was just better to keep your opinions to yourself, and Jack wasn't always that good at knowing which times to do it and which times to run off at the mouth. Although he was usually better about it when he was with one of the kids.  
  
"_Nah_, I'll go with you." Jack said, forcing a smile. "Maybe she'll know who's going to win the game tomorrow."  
  
The smile he received in return was worth the effort, and Jack wondered – not for the first time – what it was about little girls that made him turn into goo. He looked down at Jaffer, who was licking the ice cream off his nose. "If I'm going, you're going," he told the black lab. Jaffer wagged his tail. _Sure_! He'd _go_! Where were they going?  
  
"I'm not sitting at the table all alone," Sam said, smiling. "I'll come, too." Besides, it'd been her idea, right?  
  
They finished eating, and a reluctant Jack walked over to the gaily- decorated tent, carrying the monkey while Sam picked up the polar bear and Gina carried the stuffed dog. Jaffer eyed the tent suspiciously, his nose working overtime as he caught the scent of different candles burning different odors – none of them bad, but all of them different – long before they'd actually entered.  
  
There was a small foyer, where a man in an odd robe and wearing a turban was standing next to a small podium thing. Above him was a sign that read _Madam Xara! True Seer and Fortune Teller_. Jack frowned, but the scowl was hidden behind the monkey.  
  
"Ah! Visitors to see Madam Xara?" The man asked, looking down at Jaffer, who was watching him intently, his tail still, but only because he wasn't sure about this guy in the dress and the odd hat.  
  
Gina nodded, smiling excitedly, and Jack shrugged.  
  
"Yeah. We're here to... um... see her."  
  
"She's expecting you," The man said, smiling. He pointed to a small table against the wall of the tent. "Feel free to leave your stuffed animals there. I'll watch them for you. There are candles burning inside, and it's probably better if you don't take them in."  
  
That was fine with Jack. He was already tired of carrying them around. Next time he had Sam win him a prize, he was going to have her try for a goldfish or something equally tiny.  
  
"Do you want me to hold Jaffer out here, Jack?" Sam asked.  
  
"That's not necessary," the man said, smiling. "Your pet is welcome. Madam Xara loves dogs, and he's _obviously_ well-behaved." He gestured for them to enter the other room of the tent, bowing slightly.  
  
Yeah, so this guy obviously _wasn't_ a True Seer, Jack thought wryly as he plopped the monkey down on the table. Otherwise he'd know better. He smiled, though. Madam Xara couldn't be all bad, if she liked dogs. He waited until they'd set the rest of the stuffed animals down, then with Jaffer at his side (pretending to be the perfect gentleman the man thought he was) Jack led Sam and Gina into the dimness of the other room. 


	5. 05

The room wasn't dark, but there wasn't a whole lot of lighting in it, and somehow the walls of the tent muffled out every sound from the noisy carnival around them, because it was completely silent the moment the flap was closed behind them.  
  
In the room, which was actually larger than it looked like it could be from the outside, there was a single small round table, a shiny oaken piece that looked so sturdy it might have grown up out of the ground right where it stood. On the table were a few lit candles in silver holders, and dominating the middle of the table was a silver globe that was about the size of a bowling ball and resting in a marble holder. There were two chairs in the room, facing each other across the table. One was empty, and the other was occupied by the woman that had to be Madam Xara.  
  
In all the movies that Jack had ever seen that had a fortuneteller in them, the fortuneteller had been a dark-haired woman with big glasses and a million bracelets on her wrists, and large dangling ear rings. This woman had long blonde hair that was paler than Sam's, and it was neatly braided into a single braid that ran down the length of her back. And while she was wearing a gaudy outfit that was obviously designed by whomever had dressed the fortunetellers in the movies Jack had seen, she didn't have big glasses and she only wore a single necklace for jewelry, and this one was a silver owl hanging on a long chain.  
  
She looked over at them when the four of them entered the room, and beckoned at them with a smile. The woman looked far older close up than Jack had originally thought she was. When he'd entered the room he'd have said she was about thirty. Now that he saw her close up, he figured she was at least fifty, maybe even older.  
  
"Welcome to my humble tent," she told them in a very soft voice, smiling at Gina, who looked slightly nervous and was holding Jack's hand tightly. "Don't be afraid, child," she said, gently. "I won't bite you."  
  
She looked at Jaffer, who was watching her with interest. "Not with such a formidable protector with you, especially." Her welcoming gaze moved from the black lab up to Jack, and then she frowned and looked back down at the black lab again and her smile faltered, but only for a moment before it returned. Just as sincere as the one before, and broad enough to make Jack wonder if he'd imagined the frown in the darkness of the room.  
  
"Come and sit down, child," She told Gina, gesturing to the empty chair across from her.  
  
Gina looked up at Jack, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. It wasn't like the woman could possibly hurt her, after all. Not with Jack and Jaffer so close. Even if she wanted to, and Jack couldn't see why she would.  
  
"Go ahead, honey. Have her read your palm." He smiled at Madam Xara, who was looking at the four of them, waiting. Jack noticed that her gaze returned to Jaffer and himself a bit more often than it did Sam or Gina, but he supposed it was just because Jaffer was such a good looking lab. The guy in the foyer did say Xara liked dogs, after all, and Jaffer was always getting second looks.  
  
Gina let go of Jack's hand and went over and sat down, and Xara reached out with gentle hands and took the one that Jack had been holding.  
  
"Let's see..." she said, looking down at the little hand in her own. She ran her fingers along the lines, apparently engrossed in what she was seeing. Jaffer moved over to see what was so interesting, and the leash was just long enough that he could stick his head over the tabletop, but couldn't quite touch either of them.  
  
Xara smiled, not at all annoyed at the dog's intrusion. She looked up from Gina's hand and into the girl's face.  
  
"You like to dance, don't you?"  
  
Gina looked over at Jack, amazed, and Jack scowled, slightly. Yeah, lucky guess. All kids liked to dance.  
  
"My mom's a dance teacher," Gina said, looking back over at the woman holding her hand.  
  
"And she taught you?"  
  
Gina nodded, and Madam Xara looked back down at the hand once more.  
  
"You like a boy..."  
  
Gina flushed, and they could all see it, even in the dim lighting of the room.  
  
"Um... a little."  
  
Jack scowled again, this time at the thought of sharing Gina's affection with anyone else – although he knew that was dumb. She liked lots of other people besides him. He was just being jealous.  
  
The woman looked up from the hand again.  
  
"You have a very interesting lifeline, child," she said smiling. "That means that you're going to do a lot of interesting things, and have many adventures. And it looks like you're going to know someone famous."  
  
"Ooooo..." Gina looked very impressed at this, and she looked down at her hand. "Who?"  
  
The woman shrugged. "I cannot say. Perhaps they are not famous, yet?"  
  
Gina grinned and took her hand back.  
  
"Do Sam, now, Madam Xara. Please?"  
  
The smile returned, and they both looked over at Carter, who was looking slightly uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh, I think we've taken enough of her time..." Sam said.  
  
"Not at all," Xara told her as Gina stood up. She gestured to the chair. "I have nothing but time."  
  
"Go ahead, Sam," Jack said, smiling. It had been her idea to come in, after all. It was only fair.  
  
Sam handed Jack her purse, and sat down in the chair. Gina came over to stand next to Jack, and Jaffer came over to sniff the girl, checking to see if she'd been handed anything to eat. You never knew, after all. Satisfied that she was food free, Jaffer turned his attention back to Xara, who had reached for Carter's hand.  
  
She only looked at the palm for a moment before looking up into Sam's face for another long moment.  
  
"You've traveled far..."  
  
Carter looked over at Jack, who scowled again, although it wasn't all that easy to see in the dark room.  
  
"And you've lost many friends... to..." There was a pause, and she looked back down at Sam's hand again. "You're in love..."  
  
No secret there. Sam smiled, even though she was a little uncomfortable about the whole traveling thing. That had hit a little closer to home than was comfortable.  
  
"Yes." She agreed, once more looking at Jack, who lost his scowl at the plain adoration in her eyes. God, he loved it when she looked at him like that.  
  
Xara followed Sam's gaze, and she smiled at Jack as well. There was no denying who she loved. It didn't take a psychic to see the connection between the two of them.  
  
"Your aura is strong," she said, drawing Carter's attention back to her. "You have a strong personality, which serves you well when dealing with those around you."  
  
Boy, that was right on the money. Sam nodded, and Madam Xara echoed the motion. She knew she was right, but it was always nice when they agreed.  
  
"Especially him?" She asked, slyly. Gina giggled.  
  
"Sometimes..." Sam admitted, casting another look over her shoulder at Jack, who didn't mind being teased at all.  
  
"She starts it," he said, defending himself. "I'm sweet and innocent."  
  
"Uh huh." Sam took her hand back, and stood up, gesturing to the chair. "Why don't we let her be the judge of that?"  
  
"Yeah," Gina agreed. "Let Xara do Jack, now, Sam. That'll be fun."  
  
Oh, joy. Jack wasn't so sure he wanted Xara to do him. He didn't believe she really had any gift or anything, but she was apparently very good at reading people, because she'd made some pretty accurate guesses. He didn't need her making guesses about him. Schooling his features – which was pretty much automatic for him most of the time anyways – Jack took the seat Sam vacated. 


	6. 06

Author's note: Madam Xara isn't Sara (h) however you spell the ex-wife's name. That would be an interesting twist, yes, but I have other things in mind, and a confrontation with the ex isn't on the list! But good thinking!  
  
................  
  
She ignored the hand Jack held out. Instead, Madam Xara looked at Jack's face for a moment, and he noticed her eyes – which were a deep green – seemed slightly out of focus. Just when he was going to say something smart to bring her attention back to the here and now, she turned and looked over at Jaffer, who was sitting next to Sam, watching what was going on with interest. Then she looked back at Jack.  
  
"Call the dog over, please."  
  
Jack frowned, but gestured for Jaffer to join him. He didn't need to call him at all. Jaffer was more than happy to come over, and he shoved his nose into Jack's hand. Jack wasn't watching, though. He was watching the woman in front of him. He idly stroked Jaffer's ears to keep the black lab out of mischief while he waited for the woman to speak. A moment later she did.  
  
"That is so _strange_..."  
  
"What is?" Gina asked, curious about why things had turned so serious and quiet in the room.  
  
Xara pointed down at Jaffer.  
  
"Dogs – all animals for that matter – have an aura about them as well. Most are fairly routine, since dogs are limited to what they think. Eating, sleeping, hunting, breeding. They're usually far different from humans, who have very complex auras just by the very nature of the person they are. Most people have dull auras, some, however have extremely brilliant ones, depending on the person, and what level of consciousness they're at."  
  
Jack hadn't planned on a lecture at the hand reader's tent, and despite himself, he knew his eyes were glazing over. Madam Xara noticed this, and she smiled.  
  
"Your aura just told me you don't care at all about that."  
  
Jack shrugged, blushing slightly.  
  
"I'm not much for lectures," he admitted. He heard Sam snort, and Gina titter, and looked over at them with a scowl they couldn't see since the motion put his face in shadows as he turned it away from the candles on the table. Xara nodded, and took his hand.  
  
"Your dog's aura is not like any I've ever seen before. I've only seen one or two like the one that surrounds him, and it's been a very long time since I have."  
  
"Well, he's special," Jack said, looking over at her and down at the black lab.  
  
"When he comes close to you, it changes your aura as well," Xara told him. "Yours is normally fairly bright – although there are things it tells me that speak of violence and confrontation and trials I do not understand. When your dog comes close, his aura changes yours, and the two mesh into one brilliant one. Brighter than any I've seen. One aura instead of two."  
  
"What does that mean?" Gina asked.  
  
"I've never seen it before," Xara said, shrugging. "I cannot say. No one shares an aura – not even identical twins, because even identical twins are not the _same_. One can be evil, one can be sweet. Our experiences change us. When you two are together, you do share an aura. A bright one. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen."  
  
It was Jack's turn to shrug, which drew his attention to the fact that she still had hold of his hand, although she hadn't looked down at it. She was engrossed in Jaffer.  
  
"Will it hurt him?" Gina asked.  
  
"It's not evil..." Xara said, smiling at the girl. She must have realized she wasn't making much sense, or she realized she was worrying the girl, because she shrugged and turned her attention to Jack's hand finally. "Let us see what your hand can tell us."  
  
"Yes, let's..." Jack wasn't sure he really wanted to hear all that much more. This woman was about as kooky as any he'd ever seen. And he'd seen a lot. Auras and bright lights and weird stuff like that just weren't things Jack had much patience for.  
  
"You have a son..." Xara told him immediately.  
  
Jack felt a familiar pang, and almost as though she'd felt it as well, Xara winced slightly, hissing.  
  
"A terrible loss... then a gain as another is found..."  
  
Jack tried to take his hand back. He didn't know how she knew that, but that was getting into things he wasn't going to talk about. Her grip was far stronger than he'd have expected, though, and he couldn't get free. Not without struggling, and he didn't want to do that. For one thing it would cause a scene he didn't want to make, and for another, the scene would upset Gina, something he'd never do.  
  
"Another _what_?" Gina asked. "What's found?"  
  
Xara looked at Jack, her eyes unfocused once more, and then looked over at Gina, and he saw them clear up. The woman smiled gently.  
  
"There are many things gained, child... all wondrous. Some more so than others." Her gaze went back to Jack. "Love, companions, friendships the likes of which are rarely seen."  
  
"Like Sam!" Gina said.  
  
"Another _son_..." Xara murmured, softly, leaning forward intently. This time Jack knew she was speaking only to him, and that only he could hear her. And Jaffer, of course, since the black lab had moved so close to O'Neill his nose was practically touching Jack's elbow.  
  
"That's a _secret_..." Jack whispered, fiercely, trying once more to take his hand back, and unable to. He didn't know how she knew _that_, but he didn't need it bandied about.  
  
"A guardian spirit..." She glanced at Jaffer again, momentarily before turning her eyes back to Jack.  
  
"A what?"  
  
She leaned back again, still holding his hand in her vice-like grip, although she wasn't hurting him, and now he knew the conversation was for all of them to hear, and not just him.  
  
"You have a great destiny, Jack O'Neill," she said. "Your hand is only a part of the signs. You face enemies I cannot see, but I can feel. Evil ones, who are the bane of not only you, but all the people around you and beyond. You drive yourself to be everything for everyone, and ask nothing in return, and yet you've been rewarded already and don't even realize it. Your rewards are with you always. You're not finished, though. There's more for you to do – much more. You have one to guide. Two – three? – to raise. Many to protect."  
  
She shook her head, releasing his hand, now, and Jack rubbed it slightly, although there wasn't even a mark on it despite how firmly she'd been holding him.  
  
"Such burdens you bear..." She said. "So much for one man."  
  
"Yeah... well... I'm tough," Jack said, trying to shrug off the strange feeling that she knew far more about him than he did. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Yes, you will..." she nodded. "You have help." Her frank gaze went down to Jaffer, who snorted, almost as if in agreement. 


	7. 07

"Can _I_ help?" Gina asked.  
  
Jack looked over at her; he'd almost forgotten for a moment that Sam and Gina were still in the tent. The two of them were watching Jack and Xara, and he saw that Sam seemed slightly dazed. Probably no more than Jack was. He was okay with Madam Xara guessing that he had enemies – everyone had enemies, right? – but how did she know about Shawn? Or Charlie? She'd been fairly specific, after all.  
  
"_You_ help already, child," Xara told Gina, and the girl smiled.  
  
"Well..." Jack stood up, and looked down at the woman seated at the table. "We should probably be getting on our way."  
  
Madam Xara nodded, although the look on her face plainly told her that she knew he wasn't pressed for time and was leaving for other reasons.  
  
"Seers only tell what they _see_, Jack," Xara told him, reaching her hand down and stroking Jaffer's glossy black hide. "But I would like for you to stay for a moment. I'd like to speak with you... alone... for just a moment." She looked at Sam and Gina, and Jack followed her gaze, and scowled again. Really, the last thing he wanted was to hang out here any more.  
  
"We'll wait outside," Sam said, her expression plainly confused. She took Gina's hand and led the girl out of the flap, closing it once more behind her and leaving Jack and Jaffer alone with the strange woman.  
  
"How did-?"  
  
"It's a gift I bear," Xara told him, interrupting his question. "Usually it's _not_ so strong, although the moment you entered, I could feel you. And your friend, here." She looked down at Jaffer.  
  
"What did you mean by _guardian spirit_?" Jack asked, curiously. He couldn't help himself. More than anything, that phrase had struck him as important. Probably because he knew she'd been referring to Jaffer, and he was always worried about things that related to Jaffer. More so than anything else.  
  
"That's not what I wished to discuss with you..." Xara told him, leaning back in her chair slightly. "There is another issue..."  
  
"I'm full of issues," Jack said, trying to make it sound nonchalant.  
  
"You're a far more complex soul than you wish to believe."  
  
"There's nothing complex about me," he disagreed. "If your spirits are telling you otherwise, then they're wrong."  
  
She laughed, a soft, sincere chuckle.  
  
"I don't talk to spirits, Jack. I don't need to." She looked at Jaffer. "Although _sometimes_ I wish I could."  
  
"What-"  
  
"Enough of this." Madam Xara told him, standing up as well. "I cannot tell you anymore of guardian spirits, for they have their own secrets, and those secrets are hidden, even from me. Instead, I'd speak with you of Samantha."  
  
"_My_ Sam?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"She is unable to conceive a child."  
  
"_What_? How did you know that?" They'd managed to conceive only once, with disastrous results when the baby had been lost in a miscarriage. Only a few people knew about it, though, and that wasn't something Madam Xara could have seen on Sam's face – or Jack's.  
  
"There's a darkness in her aura that speaks to me of it. She longs for your child, and feels inadequate because she cannot give you one."  
  
"I don't care if she never has-"  
  
"She's not infertile, Jack." Xara told him, lifting her hand to stop him. "She _could_ give you a child, if the two of you can find out what is keeping her from conceiving."  
  
Now he understood why she didn't want Gina or Sam in the room, but Jack was still as confused as ever. But curious, despite his confusion.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Xara shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it."  
  
"Then why-"  
  
"Someone knows the answer. Someone connected to your son. Ask and discover the problem, and complete her."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I can say no more," Xara said. "Already I've confused you and annoyed you, and I will leave it at that."  
  
"I'm not annoyed."  
  
"Your aura tells me otherwise."  
  
Well, maybe he was a little annoyed. More confused than anything, though.  
  
"I'm just..."  
  
"Confused."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Eventually you will understand. Some day. All things are ultimately explained."  
  
Yeah? She'd never tried to talk with Daniel about some ancient ruin, then, had she? Or to Carter about some crazy-looking doohickey.  
  
Xara smiled and opened the flap, walking out into the main tent with Jack and Jaffer. Sam and Gina were standing by the table talking to the man in the crazy robes and the turban, and Gina was holding the stuffed black lab Sam had won Jack. Carter smiled when they made their appearance, and Jack tried to see any hint of pain in her expression. He didn't see anything but a little confusion and a lot of love. And he was pretty good at reading her. Probably as good as anyone, and better than most.  
  
"I'm glad you came by," Xara said to them, smiling as she gave Gina a small hug that the girl returned happily. Gina pretty much loved everyone, especially people who liked Jack, and it was obvious that Xara must. After all, she'd spent extra time talking to him. That had to mean something, right?  
  
"It was fun," Gina said. "I'm glad Sam thought of it."  
  
"I am, too."  
  
While Sam said her goodbyes to Madam Xara, Jack gathered up the monkey and the polar bear, handing Jaffer's leash to Sam.  
  
"Remember what I said, Jack," Xara told him, kneeling down and petting Jaffer once more, and murmuring something into the black lab's ear that none of them could hear.  
  
"Um... yeah. I will," Jack promised. Like he'd forget any of this anytime soon? Not likely. He turned to Sam.  
  
"Ready to go?"  
  
Unsure of exactly what was bothering him and wondering why he looked a bit depressed, Sam nodded. She'd ask him later what had happened.  
  
"There's a great big steer a few tents down," Xara said, smiling. "Why not go look at him? I hear he's fairly impressive." 


	8. 08

They didn't go see the steer. Mainly for the same reason they hadn't wanted to see the steer the first time. Sam and Jack neither one wanted to get into an explanation on the differences between steers and bulls, which could lead to _other_ discussions that they didn't want to get into with Gina, either.

Instead, with one arm holding the monkey and the other holding Jaffer's leash almost negligently since Jaffer didn't need much guidance, Jack led the others aimlessly along the various stands that were selling things. All kinds of things, from jewelry to toys, coats to T- shirts and even one stand where the woman was selling figurines carved from volcanic ash that had petrified. There were all sorts of things, and Jack tried to take his mind off his conversation with Madam Xara by buying outrageously priced presents for the girls.  
  
Sam was fairly certain something was bothering him, although he was trying to hide it. He wasn't quite as cheerful as he'd been earlier, and his conversation with the two of them was forced. When she asked if he was tired, though – a sure way to let him out of staying at the carnival any longer in case he wanted to leave – he simply shook his head and said he was fine.  
  
"I'm not ready to go yet, Sam." He'd told her. "Unless you're bored?"  
  
"With you here to keep me occupied?" She shook her head and smiled. "No. I just thought if you wanted to go..."  
  
"Nah, it's still early." Jack put Jaffer's leash in the same hand that was holding the monkey and slipped his arm around her waist. "I think we should drop the stuffed animals off at the truck, and then come back and look through the barns. What do you think, Gina?"  
  
Since she was a girl, and like most girls she was madly in love with horses, Gina was all for that. Sam agreed, although she wasn't quite so enthusiastic. She liked horses, but she wouldn't have minded more rides, or even another go round with the games. Who _knew_ how many stuffed animals she could end up with? It was two to one, though, and they dropped off the stuffed critters and went to the barns.  
  
The carnival was also hosting 4-H showings on all things from horses to cows to rabbits and chickens, so there were plenty of animals for them to look at. They avoided the petting zoo, only because of Jaffer, who was already a distraction for every kid that walked past them. In the petting zoo, he'd be the main attraction, and they'd never get to leave. They looked at the horses, who watched Jaffer suspiciously, looked at cows who watched them all calmly, completely unflappable, and ooohed and aweeed over the bunnies and chickens – although Jack was thinking that chicken didn't sound all that bad. He didn't mention this aloud, though, figuring it probably wasn't the best time to mention it, while Gina was sticking her finger through the bars of a cage that held a large handful of downy chicks.  
  
In the end it was Gina who gave up first. Too many different kinds of carnival food and too much walking around finally did her in. Her stomach was just a little upset, she complained, and her feet were sore and tired. She was ready to call it a day. Sam and Jack agreed, and they headed for the exit, the girl between them holding onto their hands and jabbering about how much fun she had, even though she was tired.  
  
"Do you want to come in, Jack?"  
  
They had just pulled up to the street that Sam lived on, and Jack was just coming around to open the passenger door to let Carter and Gina out of the truck. Jaffer jumped out as well, and headed for the front door, followed by Gina, who was holding the huge stuffed polar bear in her arms.  
  
Jack shook his head, leaning against the truck as he watched Jaffer trip Gina in the soft grass of Sam's front yard and then pin her down so he could slobber on her. The little girl was gigging uncontrollably. Apparently _her_ neck was as ticklish as Jack's when it came to that dog tongue.  
  
"I'm going to head for home, Sam." He told her, handing over the stuffed black lab she'd won. As much as Jack liked it, he had the real thing. And the real thing would undoubtedly chew up the stuffed one, if given a chance. "It's been a long day."

He would come to the door just long enough to make sure they were both in and that there wasn't anything out of order in her house – like someone caught inside after breaking in or something. It hadn't happened before, but it was habit for Jack to check, and Sam knew it.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked, leaning against the truck as well. "You seem a bit distracted."  
  
"I'm fine." He smiled, and leaned over to steal a kiss, then took her hand and led her over to the door, passing Gina, who was completely flattened by Jaffer. The black lab was sprawled on the girl, and since he weighed more than she did, she had very little hope of getting up without some help. It didn't help that she was still laughing too hard to focus her thoughts on how to save herself.  
  
"Let her up, Jaffer," Jack said, smiling.  
  
The black lab rolled off Gina and came romping over to Sam and Jack. He wasn't _tired_ at all! He was more than ready to go play. Or to eat, if that's what they had in mind. Sam reached down and rubbed his ears, letting Jack unlock the door for her while she paid attention to Jaffer – who'd been very good at the carnival and definitely deserved some praise for his behavior.  
  
"Are you staying, Jack?" Gina asked, running over as well, tired feet apparently forgotten.  
  
"Nah." He pulled her into a hug as Jaffer slipped past them all and into Sam's house, taking a quick look around with sharp eyes and nose, looking for anything that didn't belong – and coincidentally, any cheeseburgers or other misplaced food items that might be plotting and needed to be taken care of before they had a chance to rise up and take over the world. "I'm going to go home and hit the hay."  
  
"Awwww..." She gave him her best pouting puppy face, and Jack smiled. He saw that look all the time. "You don't want to stay? Even for a few minutes?"  
  
He cupped her face in his palms and leaned over and pressed his lips against her forehead. And blew a raspberry. She giggled and struggled to get free and after a moment, he let her.  
  
"We're going to go home. You and Sam can have the whole night to yourselves so you can do your hair, and whatever else you want to do."  
  
"See you in the morning?" Sam asked.  
  
Jack nodded. "Come find me, if I don't come find you first. _Jaffer_! Let's go, little man!"  
  
There was a thump from somewhere in the quiet house – probably Sam's bedroom – and a crash as something fell on the floor and broke. Jack winced, and Sam sighed and rolled her eyes. A moment later the black lab came tearing out of Sam's front door, heading straight for the truck without stopping to say goodbye. With any luck, they'd be long gone before Sam discovered the broken lamp that had somehow been knocked over while he was sniffing the little box of mints Carter had left on the stand next to it.  
  
"If whatever it is is unfixable, I'll buy you a new one," Jack promised. This wasn't really all that uncommon.  
  
"I'll hold you to that." She kissed him softly; not at all upset about whatever it was that could be broken. Her house had long since been Jaffer- proofed, and she knew she hadn't left anything too valuable lying around. So whatever the black lab had broken, it wasn't irreplaceable.  
  
"Night, Jack!" Gina said, hugging him.  
  
"Night, sweetheart." He dropped a kiss against her cheek, and touched Sam's arm for just a moment, then turned and headed down the walk towards Jaffer, who was waiting for Jack to open the door for him. Jack looked at his watch as Jaffer jumped up into the seat Sam had just vacated. Plenty of time. He pulled the big stuffed monkey out of the back of the truck and put it in the jump seat behind his seat, and started the truck. He had a stop he wanted to make, first.


	9. 09

The knock on his door startled Daniel. Not because he was such a recluse that no one ever came over, but because he was so involved in the translation he doing, he'd completely spaced out the world around him, and the knock brought him abruptly back. So abruptly that he'd spilled his coffee.  
  
"Damn."  
  
He got up from his desk and immediately heard a yowl of protest as he stepped on the tail of his most current houseguest. Instantly contrite, he reached down and scooped up the kitten, rubbing his face against the fuzzy jet black fur.  
  
"Oh, Binky, I'm so sorry..."  
  
The kitten hissed her displeasure at the rough treatment, and swiped at Daniel's nose, which was the closest part of him she could reach. He dodged the sharp little claws, though, jerking his face out of reach. He'd spent enough time with the creature to know she wasn't all _that_ forgiving. He wondered if _all_ cats were like that, or if it were just her.  
  
The knock sounded again, and still carrying the kitten, trying to ignore the claw that she'd manage to stick in his side as she tried to regain her balance, Daniel walked over to the door and opened it. And came face to face with a large stuffed monkey. Binky yowled again, wanting nothing to do with whatever that was, and Daniel cursed when the claw that had been in his side was joined by several of its friends.  
  
Jaffer was looking up at Daniel, wagging his tail happily, and the archeologist wondered what was going on.  
  
"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, shifting the monkey so he could see his friend. There was a serious expression on Jack's face when Daniel first saw it, but it faded immediately when he saw Daniel's predicament.  
  
"What are you doing with her?" Jack asked, smiling.  
  
"Sally's out of town giving a lecture at MIT and I'm kitten sitting." Daniel scowled. "What are you doing here? And where did you get that thing?"  
  
"Andrew's folks gave him to me a few-"  
  
"Not _Jaffer_, Jack," Daniel said, rolling his eyes. God, O'Neill was such a smart ass sometimes. "The monkey."  
  
"Sam won him at the carnival. I thought you might like him."  
  
"She won him?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Why are you giving him to me? Why not keep him?"  
  
"Are you _kidding_? Do you have any idea how much of a mess a chewed up stuffed animal makes in a house?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I do." Jack walked past Daniel and into his living room. "Take the monkey, Daniel. He's much safer here."  
  
Daniel closed the door behind Jaffer, who'd walked into his apartment as well, but was still looking up at Daniel, ignoring Jack at the moment. It took a second for Jackson to realize Jaffer wasn't watching him, he was watching the kitten in his hand.  
  
"He wouldn't hurt Binky, would he?" Daniel asked Jack, looking down at the black lab. Jaffer was a lot bigger than the kitten, and Daniel didn't want to explain to Sally that something had happened to her sweet little kitten while she was away.  
  
"Nah, Jaffer likes him."  
  
"Her."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Daniel set the kitten down on the sofa, to allow her to jump up to the back of the couch if Jaffer's presence frightened her and she felt the need to escape. The black kitten, however, liked Jaffer as much as he liked her – or at least she found him just as interesting – since she stretched her nose out to meet his when he went over to the couch to see her.  
  
"What are you doing here, Jack?" Daniel asked again, looking over at the clock on his DVD player to check the time. It was about 10:00, which was a bit late for a social call. "Is everything all right?"  
  
Jack shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "I had a few questions, and thought you'd know the answers."  
  
"Have you ever heard of the internet? Google?"  
  
"What do I need them for when I have you, Daniel?"  
  
It was Daniel's turn to shrug. He looked over at his notes, which were covered in spilled coffee. Luckily, they were laminated, and not ruined. They could wait. Daniel knew if Jack was here at this time of night there was a reason for it.  
  
"Want something to drink?"  
  
"Coffee?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Jack followed Daniel into his kitchen, leaving Jaffer with Binky.  
  
"What kind of questions?" Daniel asked, searching through his cupboard for a clean mug for Jack.  
  
"What do you know about Psychics?"  
  
"Psychics?"  
  
"You know... fortunetellers... mind readers... that kind of thing."  
  
Unsure exactly why Jack would ask him a question like that, Daniel frowned.  
  
"Not a whole lot, I'm afraid. It's not a real science, after all. And very subjective."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Daniel handed Jack a cup of coffee, and filled his own mug again.  
  
"Well... a lot of the fortune tellers are fakes. Phonies. They're just for entertainment."  
  
"A lot, but not _all_?"  
  
Daniel shrugged. "I've known a few people in my time that I suppose could be called mind readers. Of course, they might just be very good at reading expressions and guessing at what the person is thinking about."  
  
"What about someone who doesn't seem to be guessing at all?" Jack asked.  
  
"Are you going to tell me what this is about?"  
  
Jack hesitated.  
  
"Do you think there's real psychics out there?"  
  
"You didn't answer my question."  
  
"You didn't answer mine, either."  
  
Daniel gave up. Sometimes talking with Jack was like dealing with a ten year old.  
  
"Yes. I think some people have a gift. Unexplained, and unexplainable, but a gift, none the less. Have I ever met one? Probably not. But then, ten years ago I'd never met an alien, either."  
  
"I think I met one."  
  
"An alien?"  
  
"A psychic." 


	10. 10

"Excuse me?" Daniel gave him an odd look, wondering if this was some kind of joke, or if Jack had been drinking. O'Neill, however, looked sober, and absolutely serious.  
  
"I think I met a psychic tonight, Daniel." Jack repeated.  
  
"Why would you think that? Where?"  
  
"At the carnival. Sam and I-"  
  
"Jack, carnivals are full of shysters and con artists. I'm pretty sure you didn't meet a real psychic there."  
  
"Daniel..."  
  
"Jack. What makes you think-"  
  
"She knew about Shawn."  
  
Daniel's eyebrows went up, but he still didn't look convinced.  
  
"She knew about Shawn? Or she said you had a son? Guessing you have a son is a little vague, Jack. She didn't-"  
  
"She said I had a son. Then lost him and found another. Found another, Daniel. Nothing about having another. Pretty accurate guess, huh?"  
  
"She said that?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Well... that's pretty... odd, I'll give you that." He shrugged. "It could have been a lucky guess, though. Maybe something in your expression when she mentioned you having a son gave away some hint, or something."  
  
"She also said I face evils..."  
  
"Everyone faces evil, Jack. It's all around-"  
  
"Not the kind of way she said it, Daniel. You weren't there. She wasn't talking about deciding whether to pay a traffic ticket or something. She was talking about real evil stuff. Bad stuff. Goa'uld-type stuff."  
  
"Oh, give me a break. How would she know that?"  
  
"You tell me. You just said you think there might be people out there with that gift."  
  
"But not-"  
  
"She called Jaffer a guardian spirit."  
  
At the sound of his name, the black lab appeared at the doorway, Binky hanging from his mouth and looking a bit slobbered on, but perfectly content at being toted around like a piece of baggage.  
  
"Jaffer?" Daniel scowled, and reached down to take the half-grown kitten away from the dog before she got hurt. "He's hardly that, Jack. Most of the time it's you protecting him."  
  
"She said Sam can't have children."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She told me – after she sent Sam and Gina out of the room – that Sam can't conceive."  
  
"Are you and Sam trying to have children?" Daniel asked, surprised.  
  
Jack became a little uncomfortable. Talking to Daniel about a psychic was one thing, talking to him about his love life was another.  
  
"We're not trying to, but we're not doing anything to prevent it, if you get my meaning."  
  
"No birth control, you mean..."  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Has she talked to Janet? Remember, she did have that miscar-"  
  
"There's nothing wrong with her, Daniel." Jack said. "Fraiser says she's fine, and that the baby she lost didn't do any damage to her. We haven't really been trying to have a baby, but I'd kind of hoped after losing the first one that she'd..."  
  
"It's been almost three years."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"And this lady knew that?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
Daniel set Binky back down on the floor, absently, and didn't even notice that Jaffer picked the kitten back up and headed back into the living room after deciding that even though Jack had said his name, he wasn't holding anything edible.  
  
"That's a pretty wild guess."  
  
"Too accurate to be a guess is my thinking."  
  
Daniel had to agree with that.  
  
"What else did she say?"  
  
"She said Sam's not infertile. She can have kids, if we figure out what's wrong."  
  
"How are you supposed to do that?"  
  
Jack shrugged.  
  
"She didn't tell you?"  
  
"She said something about someone connected with my son knows the solution. She didn't say who."  
  
"Connected with Shawn?"  
  
Jack shrugged. Xara couldn't have meant Charlie. At least, he didn't think she had.  
  
"The Asgard?"  
  
"I don't know, Daniel."  
  
"Probably they'd know. They're far more advanced than we are, after all."  
  
Without even realizing it, Daniel had decided that the woman Jack had talked to must have been the real thing. Jack certainly seemed more convinced than not. Especially after talking to Daniel about it. His analytical mind was already considering the other possibilities.  
  
"Shawn's met Bra'tac as well – more than once."  
  
"I'm not going to go talk to Bra'tac about Sam's personal-"  
  
"Does Sam know you're here talking to me about it?"  
  
"Sam doesn't even know what Xara said about her," Jack said. "And I want it to stay that way. At least for now."  
  
"Xara?" Daniel asked. "The psychic?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Why wouldn't she discuss it with Sam? Why with you?"  
  
"How should I know? Maybe she figured I could fix it without Sam knowing. She told me it's really bothering Sam that she can't conceive. A darkness on her soul or something like that. Maybe she didn't want to upset her."  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
Daniel was looking at Jack, but not really looking at him. It was a look O'Neill was familiar with; one that Daniel got on his face when he was mulling over some problem or puzzle. Jack didn't say anything, figuring that he'd said far more than he probably should have. He hadn't actually planned on bringing up the Sam thing; he'd just wanted confirmation that it was possible that the woman might have really been what she claimed. The Sam thing had just slipped out in his effort to get Daniel to believe him. Now, though, Jack was glad it had, since he knew Daniel was a better thinker than he was and might come up with something.  
  
Daniel didn't fail him.  
  
"You know who I'd ask?" Daniel asked, finally, looking at Jack again.  
  
Jack shrugged.  
  
"Dotty."  
  
"Dotty?"  
  
"Shawn's mom."  
  
"I know who she is, Daniel..." Jack trailed off, considering, but Daniel did all the considering aloud for him.  
  
"She's connected to Shawn, obviously. She's familiar with Sam and wouldn't need much background information so you wouldn't really be delving too deeply into Sam's personal affairs, and I'll bet she's far more advanced than the Asgard are. If you can get her to talk technology with you. You could probably even get her to keep it between the two of you." He looked at Jack, unsure about the expression on the older man's face, and shrugged. "It's a thought."  
  
"It's a good thought," Jack said, surprising Daniel. "Thanks."  
  
Jack set his untouched coffee down on the counter.  
  
"I'd better get going."  
  
"You're just going to go rushing over to Shawn's house in the middle of the night?"  
  
"No, I can't." Or he probably would. "They're out of town visiting relatives."  
  
"Then where are you going?"  
  
"Home. To think this through." To figure out exactly how to do this without Sam finding out, since he wasn't sure what she'd say if she knew, and wasn't sure it was something he should bring up. He didn't want to open an old wound with her if he didn't have to, and he didn't want to remind her of what she couldn't have – if Xara was right. Better to see what Dotty might have to say, and then go from there.  
  
"Well... if you need any more ideas..." Daniel said, taking a sip of his coffee, and then setting the cup down next to Jack's.  
  
"I'll give you a call." Jack said.  
  
"Or you could try the internet."  
  
Jack smiled, and the two of them headed for the living room.  
  
"Come on, Jaffer."  
  
Daniel looked at the big stuffed monkey that was sitting on his sofa.  
  
"You sure you don't want to take that thing with you?" He asked.  
  
"Positive. Sam can always win me another one if I change my mind."  
  
Jack opened the door, turning for a final look at his friend. "I'd prefer that you didn't really tell anyone about this, Daniel. Especially Sam."  
  
Daniel nodded. He hadn't planned to. No one would believe him anyways, he was sure.  
  
"I won't, Jack."  
  
"Thanks." Slightly distracted, Jack started out the door, with Jaffer close behind.  
  
"Hey, Jack..." Daniel frowned, and O'Neill turned back to look at him, questioningly.  
  
"I need Binky back."  
  
"What?" Jack followed Daniel's gaze down to Jaffer. Sure enough, the black lab was trying to sneak out with the inky black kitten in his mouth. Since Binky was a fair bit larger than he'd been the first time Jaffer had ever tried it, it wasn't quite so easy to miss – although Jack had, because he wasn't paying attention. "Jaffer, give him back."  
  
"Her." Daniel corrected, absently, reaching down and taking the soggy kitten from the lab's mouth.  
  
"Whatever." Jack slapped Daniel's shoulder in thanks, and headed for the elevator with Jaffer at his side, while Daniel watched.  
  
"Guardian spirit my eye." Daniel murmured, looking down at the disgruntled kitten in his hands. "More like a drool machine."  
  
Binky didn't reply. She just tried to take another swipe at Daniel with her claws when he started using his shirt to dry her off. 


	11. 11

Author's note: Binky doesn't _hate_ Daniel; she just doesn't like being stepped on and doesn't like being dried off with his shirt. Although she might harbor a grudge, since he _is_ the one who named her, after all... who knows? She's just being a cat... fickle as all get out.  
  
..............  
  
"What is it with you and that cat?" Jack murmured to Jaffer in the elevator as they headed back down to the ground floor. "You know she's far too young for you, don't you?"  
  
Jaffer looked up at him, cheerfully, his tail wagging idly like it always did when Jack was conversing with him in such a tone. Jack reached down and rubbed his ears, lovingly.  
  
"It'll _never_ work, you know... you're from two different worlds... she's a cat, you're a dog... what would Shadow say when you brought her home?"  
  
The elevator opened and cut off Jack's litany of reasons, and the two of them headed through the lobby of Daniel's apartment building and out into the quiet street.  
  
"Are you hungry? Or did you fill up on fair food?"  
  
Dumb question! Jaffer was always hungry.  
  
Jack felt a bit better after talking to Daniel. He wasn't positive that Xara was completely the real deal, but since he'd pretty much convinced Daniel it made it a bit easier for Jack to sort of believe as well. Enough so that he was going to go talk to Dotty the next day when she returned from her trip. He'd just have to figure out a way to breach the conversation without coming off sounding too off the wall.  
  
"Let's grab something on the way home, little man," Jack said as he started the truck and pulled out. For someone who'd eaten a ton of fair food himself, Jack was pretty hungry.  
  
...............  
  
About an hour later, just as the clock on his fireplace mantel was reading midnight, Jack and Jaffer walked through the front door. Jack was carrying a bag filled with burgers and fries in one hand and a strawberry milkshake in the other. He knew Sam wouldn't approve of such a heavy meal so late at night, but she wasn't there, and between him and Jaffer there wouldn't be any evidence anyways.  
  
He let Jaffer out the back door so he could make his final rounds of the backyard for the night, took a quick shower while he had the chance, then the two of them took their midnight snack to bed.  
  
While he fed bites of burger to his patiently watching black lab, Jack considered how best to approach Dotty. He wasn't sure exactly what to tell her, after all. He and Shawn's mother got along very well – it's easy to like someone who loves someone you love as much as you do, after all – and they both loved Shawn. But he'd never had a conversation with her like the one that was rolling around in his head as he split his French fries with Jaffer. He didn't want her to think he was crazy, after all. Although the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if Daniel's initial reaction had been right. Maybe Xara had just gotten lucky on a few guesses. There was no real evidence to suggest she was _really_ a psychic. Not really. A guess about a son. Maybe the wording hadn't been all that specific?  
  
He replayed the conversation in his mind more than a few times. Jack was good at remembering things when he wanted to – although usually he didn't have to, since he could count on Sam or Daniel or Teal'c to remember things for him if they were around – and he had no trouble remembering Madam Xara's exact words. They'd been pretty specific. At least the part about Sam had. Jaffer being a guardian spirit hadn't made much sense, and that whole thing about him and the black lab sharing an aura... well that had just plain been kooky. Jack looked at Jaffer, who was watching him intently.  
  
"You'd tell me if you were a guardian spirit, right?"  
  
The look he received in return plainly said Jaffer would tell him anything if Jack would give him the rest of his fries.  
  
Jack split the last of his meal with Jaffer and the stretched out, sinking into the pillows and considering the rest of Xara's predictions. Sam loved him. Big news there. Gina had a crush on someone? That was interesting. He supposed it was about time – if it were true. The girl was probably at that age when she should be getting crushes. As long as she didn't get one on him. He liked her too much to dodge her attentions. Many adventures and someone famous. Maybe she'd end up marrying some famous dancer. Or maybe she'd end up being some famous dancer? Who knew?  
  
That whole thing about Carter traveling far... that could have been a guess. He scowled as he turned off the light, and Jaffer flopped down on the bed, resting his head on Jack's chest – which told O'Neill his baby wanted cuddling. Jack stroked Jaffer's sides and shoulder while the dog sighed contentedly, and his mind went back to the part about Sam not having any children. It wasn't acceptable. Jack knew Sam wanted to have a child – at least one, although occasionally she'd go for the shock thing and mention a house filled with 12 kids. Jack was pretty sure she didn't really want that many, but he was also sure that he'd give her that many if that was what she wanted. He liked kids. Loved Shawn. Had loved Charlie. He felt that same pang of loss at the thought of his son, and Jaffer stretched up and licked his chin gently, as if to reassure him.  
  
"We'll go see Dotty tomorrow," Jack said softly into the darkness of his room as he caressed Jaffer's ears. If that was what would make Sam happy, and Dotty had some way of knowing what was wrong, then Jack would figure out a way to bring it up. Even if it made him look stupid.  
  
Jaffer snorted softly, as though in agreement, and Jack closed his eyes, his hand still rubbing the black lab gently.  
  
He fell asleep only moments later, lulled by Jaffer's steady heartbeat beating against his own chest in an almost identical rhythm, and the black lab's comforting warmth soothing Jack in ways that only Jaffer seemed to be able to soothe. And while he slept, he dreamed.  
  
_Xara was there. She was looming over him in a similar fashion to the way Jaffer tended to loom. The woman was looking down at Jack while he slept, and Jaffer raised his head to look at her as though he could see her. Xara's hand, ghostly pale and translucent, reached out to touch Jack, but before she made contact, Jaffer moved slightly, placing his head between Jack and the hand. The woman smiled, unconcerned.  
  
"I wasn't going to hurt him... I just wondered if there was more... that I hadn't seen..." She said in that calm voice she had. "You guard him so carefully, and yet you need him as much as he needs you..." Her voice was puzzled. She reached down and touched the black lab, closing her eyes. "So much concentrated love... what could possibly be so important about him that he needed such power to look after him...?" Her hand reached for Jack once more, her eyes opening again and troubled. "What is he... what is his purpose...?" Even as her hand came close to Jack, Jaffer's low growl warned her she was getting too close. He didn't speak, but he didn't need to. He'd never needed to. The growl made it more than clear. The hand paused, and then started forward again. There was so much she wanted to know. She was so curious...  
  
This time the growl was deeper, and far more dangerous. There was no doubting that Jack was off-limits. As the thunder rumbled deep in Jaffer's chest and belly, Xara's hand retreated, and the growling subsided, although he still watched her suspiciously.  
_  
Jack woke up, looking around, feeling... something. His hand was on Jaffer's side, and the black lab was sound asleep, snoring gently with his breath warming Jack's belly every time he exhaled. Frowning, Jack looked around once more, but the dark room was quiet and he knew that no one was there. If someone had been, Jaffer wouldn't be asleep.  
  
"That's what I get for eating so much crap before bed..." he murmured into the dark, quietly so he didn't wake his sleeping dog. Promising himself he'd only eat salad the next day, Jack closed his eyes once more. This time, his sleep was untroubled. 


	12. 12

Author's Note: Sorry about how long it took to get this chapter and the last up. I'm usually more punctual about this sort of thing, but I've been besieged by work, and had to deal with it. (And my cat is being annoying, but we won't go there)

..........................

"Jack?"  
  
The voice was soft and familiar, and as far as he was concerned it was the best voice to hear when he woke up in the morning. He opened his eyes and saw Sam leaning over him, a gentle smile on her face.  
  
"Hey..." he looked around for Jaffer or Gina, but they were alone in his room. "Everything okay?"  
  
Sam nodded.  
  
"We thought we'd come by and see if you wanted to have lunch with us before I took Gina home."  
  
"Lunch?"  
  
Jack looked at his watch and was surprised to see it was after 1:00. He'd woken at 6:30 just long enough to let Jaffer out, but both of them had been ready for an extended nap, and they'd went back to bed. It was Sunday morning, after all, and if he could, Jack would always sleep in on Sunday morning. He hadn't expected to sleep _quite_ this late, however.  
  
Sam nodded. "Interested?"  
  
"Sure." He looked around again, and Sam ran her finger along his cheek. He was so cute when he'd just woken up and was disorientated like he was. "Where's Gina?"  
  
"Out back with Jaffer."  
  
"Let me get dressed, and I'll be ready."  
  
She rested her hand against his bare chest and kissed him, softly.  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"I'm fine, Sam." He felt fine, too. Just a little sleep-fogged.  
  
She accepted that, since he _looked_ like he felt fine. Although she was concerned he'd slept so late. Sundays he always slept in, but 1:00 was extreme, even for Jack and Jaffer. "I'll be out back, too."  
  
Jack nodded, and watched as she got off the bed and walked out of the room and down the hall, and then he yawned and stretched, and pushed the blankets back. God, he didn't deserve her.  
  
.......................  
  
"Hi, Jack!"  
  
He smiled as he came out of the sliding glass door and onto the deck in the back of his house. Gina came rushing over, followed closely by Jaffer, who practically bowled the girl over to get to Jack and get some petting.  
  
"Hi, sweetheart."  
  
Jack gave her a quick hug, and then scratched Jaffer's ears. Looking down at the black lab, he had a sense of some dream that he'd had the night before, but he couldn't remember what it was. Only that it had involved Jaffer, somehow. Of course, _that_ wasn't all that weird, since there were only a few things – people or otherwise – that he had good dreams about, and Jaffer and Sam were right at the top of the short list.  
  
"You sure slept late."  
  
"I stayed up late."  
  
"We did, too." The girl smiled at Sam. "We played video games, what did you do?"  
  
"We had burgers."  
  
Sam frowned at that little announcement.  
  
"You didn't! After eating all that fair food?"  
  
Jack tried to look repentant, but failed.  
  
"Well... _Jaffer_ was hungry."  
  
"Uh huh." She didn't buy it, and Jack knew it. Gina giggled.  
  
"Yeah, well... we should go get something to eat, right?" Jack wrapped his arms around Gina. "Are you hungry?"  
  
"Starving!"  
  
"Sam didn't feed you breakfast?" Jack looked shocked.  
  
"We had bananas."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"And muffins," Sam added, defensively.  
  
"Oh, well... _muffins_, too..." He grinned. "That changes everything."  
  
Jaffer whuffled Jack and Gina, looking for attention or a snack – or both. He wasn't choosy. Sam ran her hand along the black nose, affectionately.  
  
"Let's go get something to eat," she said. "I have to have Gina back home sometime this afternoon."  
  
..................  
  
They ended up eating at IHOP. It was their usual spot, and the wait staff there were always glad to see them. Even better, they allowed Jaffer in the dining room under the guise of a Service dog, as long as he stayed close to Jack. Which was never a problem. Since Jaffer and Jack had both slept through breakfast, they were hungry enough to order a lot of food and eat it all – along with whatever Gina and Sam ordered but didn't manage to finish. They talked about the carnival the night before while they ate, and although Jack really had no intention of discussing Xara with either of them, the psychic came up in their conversation.  
  
"What did Madam Xara want to talk to you about, Jack?" Gina asked.  
  
He had expected the question the night before, so he was pretty much ready for it – although he'd expected it to come from Sam.  
  
"She was asking about Jaffer." He told her, evasively.  
  
"Oh." Gina seemed a little disappointed, as if she'd been hoping there'd been a better reason for the psychic to hold Jack back, but Jack didn't allow her a chance to ask any more.  
  
"So... tell me about this _boy_ you have a crush on..."  
  
The girl colored instantly, casting a sideways glance at Sam, who was grinning – despite the fact that she recognized the question as a distraction from Gina's original question.  
  
"He's... um..."  
  
"Does he go to your school?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Is he older than you?"  
  
Another nod.  
  
"How much older?"  
  
"A whole year – almost."  
  
"What's his name?"  
  
"Bobby."  
  
"Is he nice?"  
  
Really, no one could interrogate like Jack could when he set his mind to it – except maybe Andrew's Stephens' grandmothers – and by the time they'd finished their lunch, Jack knew everything there was to know about Bobby. What he liked, what he didn't like, what he wore to school, what color his hair was. What color his eyes were. What Gina liked about him. Pretty much everything. Enough to know it was a crush, but probably nothing more. Which was fine, since Jack wasn't ready to give Gina up to another guy just yet.  
  
"We've got to get going," Sam said, finally, as Gina finished talking about how Bobby liked Math, but didn't really like Science – not that anyone cared but her.  
  
Jack looked at his watch, and agreed with her. It was after 2:00, now, and he still had a stop he wanted to make before it got too late in the afternoon. He paid the check – leaving a big tip like he always did, since the girls that waited on them always treated Jaffer like a king there – and walked out to the parking lot with Gina walking between him and Sam, and Jaffer lazily walking next to him, still on his leash, but not really minding all that much.  
  
They'd taken separate cars, since Sam had to take Gina home, and Jack opened the door for Gina, then walked around with Sam and opened hers as well, although she didn't get in right away.  
  
"You have any plans this evening?" She asked him, reaching out and taking his hand.  
  
"I was hoping to spend it with you." Jack said. "Unless you're busy?"  
  
Carter shook her head, smiling. "I think that can be arranged."  
  
"I'm going to go see if Shawn's back, yet, and then I'll probably be home – unless something comes up."  
  
"You have your cell?"  
  
"It's in the truck."  
  
"I'll call you if I get done before you get home."  
  
He nodded and kissed her lightly. Nothing too mushy with Gina watching them, after all.  
  
"I'll see you later."  
  
She got behind the wheel and closed the door, and both of them looked at him through the driver's window.  
  
"Bye, Jack!" Gina waved, happily.  
  
Jack smiled, because there was no love better than the unconditional love he was surrounded by just then.  
  
"Bye sweetheart. I'll see you soon."  
  
He and Jaffer watched as Sam drove off, then he looked down at the black lab, who was watching him.  
  
"Let's go see Dotty, little man. You can distract Shawn, while I try to figure out how to ask her about Sam."  
  
Jaffer wagged his tail in agreement, and the two headed for Jack's truck.


	13. 13

The Buick was in the driveway, but the Jeep was gone. Which was slightly confusing, since Jack knew that the Adams had taken their Buick. Frowning, he wondered if he'd been mistaken. Maybe they had changed their minds and taken the Jeep? Or maybe they were back and the Jeep was just gone. Mentally shrugging, Jack pulled into the driveway, figuring there was no point in driving out here and not at least knocking on the door.  
  
He and Jaffer walked to the front door, and rang the doorbell, even though the house looked empty to him, which made him think that maybe they'd taken the Jeep, after all, even though the Buick was far more comfortable when traveling. He looked down at Jaffer, who was looking around, sniffing the bushes next to the front porch.  
  
"Maybe we're too early..."  
  
The door opened just then, pulling Jack's attention back to the front, and drawing Jaffer's attention as well. Dotty Adams was standing there, smiling when she realized who was at the door.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
He smiled, uncomfortably.  
  
"Hi, Dotty. How was the trip?"  
  
"It was fine, thanks. Come in, why don't you?" She opened the door so he and Jaffer could walk past. Jack walked in, followed closely by Jaffer, and the two stopped just beyond the foyer. Dotty shut the door, still smiling.  
  
"James and Shawn went to get some dinner, but they shouldn't be gone long." She told him, taking his arm comfortably and walking him into the living room when she noticed he didn't seem to be planning on going in without an invitation. "Would you like something to drink while you wait for Shawn?"  
  
"Actually..." Jack scowled, trying to remember how he'd planned on starting this conversation, but unable to remember.  
  
"What is it, Jack?" Dotty asked. She didn't read him anywhere near as well as Sam could, but Dotty knew Jack far better than anyone knew. Including him. She'd had access to his memories from the Ancient's device, after all, and although she'd only viewed them once, Dotty Adams had a very good memory.  
  
"I actually came to talk to you, Dotty. Not Shawn."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"About Shawn?"  
  
Jack shook his head, and Dotty wondered why he looked so uncomfortable.  
  
"What's wrong, Jack?"  
  
"Um..." He looked around, everywhere but at her. "Can we... sit down?"  
  
Yeah. That'd buy him about 20 seconds. He sighed to himself and sat down on the couch while Dotty took a seat across from him.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
"Yeah..." He frowned. "Hey, um, Dotty...? What do you know about... um..." He scratched his ear. "Having babies?"  
  
She smiled despite his obvious discomfort. She had no idea what it was that was bothering him, or what he wanted to know, but since she'd actually _had_ a baby, she could answer that question, at least.  
  
"I had Shawn."  
  
"Um... yeah. But what about Sam?"  
  
"Nope, I didn't have her."  
  
He smiled, despite the seriousness of his visit, as Dotty had hoped he would. It broke his nervous tension and he relaxed marginally.  
  
"Seriously, Jack. What's going on?"  
  
"I... think Sam's having trouble conceiving, Dotty," he said. "And I was wondering if you..." he shrugged. "Maybe there's a reason?"  
  
He felt like a moron. There was absolutely no way Dotty was ever going to be able to take him seriously again. What the hell had he been thinking, coming here with such a personal problem, when he was only going on the guess of a woman who probably wasn't even a psychic? She was going to laugh him out of her house any moment, now, Jack just knew it.  
  
Dotty _didn't_ laugh, though. She threw Jack a very serious look, and reached her hand out to stroke Jaffer's ears when the black lab walked over.  
  
"Are you and Sam trying to have children, Jack?"  
  
He shrugged, thinking this was a familiar conversation.  
  
"Well... we wouldn't say no if one came along... but none are coming."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Are you certain the problem lies with _Sam_?"  
  
Jack frowned. "What do you mean? Could it be me?"  
  
Dotty shrugged, understanding at least why Jack had been so uncomfortable and had so much trouble bringing the conversation up.  
  
"Does Sam know you're here, Jack?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"How do I know if it's me, Dotty?" He hadn't even considered that. Of course, he had fathered Charlie, and had fathered the baby he and Sam had lost, so he knew he wasn't firing blanks, so to speak. At least he hadn't been three years ago. Shawn didn't count, since Jack hadn't touched Dotty. The Ancients had taken matters into their own hands on that one.  
  
She looked at her hands, frowning slightly.  
  
"I could check for you."  
  
His eyebrows rose slightly at that statement.  
  
"_'Check'_?" How was she planning on checking something like that?  
  
Dotty smiled, "I might not have put that exactly the best way. Sorry."  
  
He didn't look all that convinced, though, and she laughed, unable to hide her amusement at his reaction.  
  
"It's nothing invasive, Jack," she assured him. "Although it _is_ a little... intimate."  
  
"We're not going to... um... do anything, though... right?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. It's a simple touch. Nothing more. I can heal you humans easily enough with a touch anywhere, but something like this would require a more direct... um... feel."  
  
Jack shrugged, uncomfortable, but only because he was nervous. What if it was his fault? According to Madam Xara, Sam had been beating herself up about this, but what if it was Jack, and not Sam?  
  
"Whatever you need to do, Dotty. Please." He held up his hands, helplessly. "I... well, if it's me, we need to know." He didn't know what they'd do about it, but he had to know.  
  
Without another word, Dotty reached out and gently rested her hand on him. Intimate was definitely the word for the touch, Jack thought wryly as her hand cupped him.

"Should I turn my head and cough?"

"Hush... I'm trying to concentrate."

He did as he was told, and watched her face for any sign that she was finding something wrong – mainly because he didn't want to look any lower – but her eyes were closed, and her face expressionless. A moment later, though, her eyes opened once more, and she removed her hand.  
  
"_You're_ fine, Jack."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
She nodded. "Everything's doing what it's supposed to be doing."  
  
He smiled despite himself, relieved, and escaping into humor like he normally did in a situation like that.  
  
"Well, you know... I try to keep active..."  
  
She laughed.  
  
"That's far more information that I needed to know, Jack. Even with that touch."  
  
Jack's smile broadened, but only for a moment.  
  
"So if it's not me, then it's Sam?"  
  
She shrugged. "Probably."  
  
There was a sound of a car door slamming outside, and then another. Shawn and James had returned with dinner. Jaffer headed for the door, knowing someone was going to come through, and wanting to see who it was coming into his house – which was his because he was there.  
  
"Let me think about it for a while, Jack. It might not be as bad as it seems."  
  
"You'll let me know?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
He looked slightly uncomfortable, again. "Will you keep this between you and me, Dotty? For now, anyways? I don't know how Sam would react if she knew I was..."  
  
"If she knew you were so concerned about her that you are wiling to come over and talk about something that is obviously not a comfortable subject for you?"  
  
"I was thinking more along the line of going behind-"  
  
He was interrupted by the door slamming open and Shawn rushing in, excited by the sight of Jack's truck in the driveway.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
Shawn hurtled himself into Jack's arms as Jack stood up.  
  
"Hey, buddy."  
  
"What are you doing here? Did you come for dinner?"  
  
Jack looked over Shawn at Dotty, and she nodded, telling him with that gesture that she'd keep his secret, and that he was invited for dinner if he was interested.  
  
"I don't know about dinner, kiddo." Jack said, letting him go. "I doubt you picked up enough food for Jaffer's crazy appetite."  
  
"We have plenty, Jack," James told him, coming into the room and setting bags of food on the coffee table before kneeling down and rubbing Jaffer's ears in greeting as the black lab came over to see what smelled so good.  
  
"Well, then, we accept."


	14. 14

"_Xara... True Seer_..."  
  
It had taken Daniel forever to find the woman Jack had mentioned to him the night before. The archeologist had mulled over his conversation with O'Neill most of the night, and he had to admit that he was intrigued. Of course, Daniel was also as curious as the proverbial cat, which only added to his interest. He couldn't say when exactly he'd decided he was going to go to the carnival and look the woman up, but it had been sometime during the night while he listened to Binky roaming his apartment looking for something to play with.  
  
Now that he was actually _at_ the carnival and standing in front of the brightly colored tent, Daniel was having second thoughts. He didn't know what it was about the woman, but if she'd managed to convince someone as cynical as Jack that she was the real deal, he figured she'd have a field day with Daniel, who was as open-minded as they came.  
  
Really, though, what was the harm? Daniel was pretty much conducting an experiment, and the only way he could complete it would be to talk to Xara and have her read his palm or _whatever_ it was she did. Then he'd see for himself. He walked into the tent, looking around at the sign, and the man in the robe watching him.  
  
"Hi..."  
  
"Hello, good sir," the man bowed, slightly, making Daniel want to bow back – although he managed to stop from doing it at the last moment. "Madam Xara is expecting you." He gestured for Daniel to go through the flap.  
  
"Oh... I _doubt_ that..." Daniel murmured to himself as he walked into the darkened room and looked around with interest. It reminded him of Teal'c's quarters at the SGC, although it might just have been the candles and the solitude.  
  
The woman seated at the table (in front of a crystal ball, Daniel noted, scoffing to himself) didn't even look up when he entered. As the flap closed, muting the sound of the carnival that was going on all around them, however, she spoke before Daniel could.  
  
"You are curious."  
  
Well, duh. Everyone who came into the psychic's tent was probably curious. It didn't take a mind reader to figure that one out.  
  
"A little..." he acknowledged, walking over. "My friends-"  
  
"What _is_ your friend?" She interrupted him before he could complete his announcement.  
  
Daniel was confused by the question, since the woman had asked _what_ his friend was, and not _who_. As if sensing this, she smiled, and gestured for him to take the seat across from him.  
  
"I know who your friend is..." She said, softly, looking at Daniel intently. "You have a similar aura to his. Not as bright – nowhere near as bright – and yet, the evil you face is the same as the evil he and Samantha face."  
  
"How-?"  
  
"How did I know?" She interrupted, with a smile. She gestured all around her. "I'm a psychic, of course."  
  
"What am I thinking right now?" Daniel asked, and she laughed.  
  
"I don't do _parlor tricks_, young man. I read the auras of the people around me, and tell them what I see. Most of the time what I see is trivial stuff – someone will become famous, someone will find true love... that sort of thing. Your friends were different. Jack O'Neill practically glows with the power around him, and he is unaware of it."  
  
"He's a high-ranking officer in the military," Daniel said. "He's used to power."  
  
"What I see is not _authority_," Xara said, shaking her head. "High ranking officers carry authority, but power and authority are two different things."  
  
"What power, then?" Daniel asked.  
  
She shrugged. "I cannot say. I will say this... your friend is special. He walks with a guardian spirit – one who is bonded to him in ways I cannot understand."  
  
"Jaffer's a _dog_." Daniel said. "He's..." Daniel shrugged. "I was _there_ the day he was born... he's nothing special to anyone but Jack. He's certainly not a guardian spirit."  
  
"Has he ever saved Jack's life?"  
  
"Jack's saved my life a dozen times and that doesn't make _him_ a guardian spirit."  
  
"Jack _is_ a guardian spirit," Xara corrected. "As is Samantha, and yourself."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, not in exactly the same fashion as the dog is," she told Daniel. "But I look at you, and I see a Protector. Someone who stands between the people around him and an evil that I cannot comprehend. When I looked at Samantha and Jack yesterday, I saw this as well."  
  
"But-"  
  
"There are _many_ Protectors, though," Xara said, shrugging. "A Protector is simply someone who will stand up for good when evil is apparent. Who chooses to do the right thing when there are two choices in front of them. Who chooses to help someone when they need it instead of walking away. Many police officers, paramedics, firemen, doctors... the list is endless. Not all of them are even in service professions, although those that are the strongest tend to end up in a place they can readily act on this desire to help."  
  
She paused, waiting for Daniel to say something.  
  
"I'm an _archeologist_," Daniel said. "How is that a-?"  
  
"Did I not just say _many_? I did not say _all_." She reached out and took Daniel's hand. "Your aura is bright, and yet you have had many hurts in your life. Some recent, but a terrible loss in your recent past that drives you to do what you're doing now."  
  
Daniel looked down at his hand, suddenly wishing he were anywhere but there. She was far too accurate for his comfort, and now that she'd turned her attention on him instead of Jack, he could easily understand why O'Neill had been so confused. Daniel was about 99 percent sure she was the real deal. He took his hand away, but Xara didn't seem to be offended.  
  
"What do you _do_?" She asked, intently, leaning forward. "The evil I see you facing is nothing I've encountered before... your aura tells me it's nothing of this world, and yet I do not see it as being of the spirit world, either. What _other_ worlds are there?"  
  
"I can't tell you that," Daniel said, shaking his head.  
  
"He is poised on the edge of something incredible..." Xara said, looking past Daniel, her eyes unfocused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your friend." She said, looking at him, now. "He's... I've never seen anything like it. He has a great purpose..."  
  
"Um... _yeah_..."  
  
Daniel wasn't sure what she was talking about. Jack was the center of a lot of things just then, but really, none of them were all that _great_. Not necessarily ordinary, of course – not in their line of work – but not great.  
  
"Why can't you tell me what you do?"  
  
Daniel squirmed, more than ready to leave. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of such questioning and he wasn't sure what he would give away to someone who could read people so well.  
  
"It's secret stuff." He stood up, almost knocking the chair over in his haste. "I really should be going."  
  
"Why did you come?"  
  
"Because I had to see for myself." Daniel said. "You really threw Jack for a loop last night, and I wanted to..."  
  
"To see for yourself?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And are you convinced?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Which is why I need to go."  
  
She nodded, smiling.  
  
"Watch your friend, Daniel." She said, gently. "The dangers he faces are great – as are the ones you face. I feel that a simple slip in concentration could kill him, and if that happens, all that could be, probably will not be."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
She shrugged. "It is just what I _see_."  
  
Daniel left the tent with far more questions than he'd had when he'd entered, and only when he was well down the midway on his way back to his car did he realize that she'd called him by name – and he hadn't told her his name.  
  
He faltered and almost tripped, stopping and looking back the way he'd come. Then he shrugged. There was no way he was going to go back and ask her how she knew who he was. He'd had enough psychics for the day. For the rest of his life, for that matter. 


	15. 15

His cell phone rang as he was just finishing a bowl of ice cream that Dotty had produced for desert. Fishing in his pocket for the thing, he pulled it out and watched as Shawn gave Jaffer the last bite of his ice cream bar.  
  
"O'Neill."  
  
"Hey."  
  
He smiled, even though she couldn't see it, and Dotty smiled as well when she saw the expression. It _had_ to be Sam on the other end of the line, since she was the only one who made Jack smile like that – aside from Jaffer, who was already standing close by.  
  
"Hi, Sam."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Hi, Sam!" Shawn hadn't really been eavesdropping, but it was hard to miss the greeting when you were sitting right beside the person talking.  
  
"Guess." Jack told her.  
  
"I don't have to." The humor in Sam's voice was evident, and Jack knew she was smiling. "Tell him I said hi."  
  
"Sam says hi." Jack dutifully told Shawn.  
  
"Ask her if she wants to come over, Jack." Dotty told him. "We still have plenty of dinner left."  
  
"You're eating _again_?" Sam had overheard Dotty's words, and there was disbelief in her voice now instead of humor. She, Jack and Gina had only eaten a couple of hours ago, and it had been a large meal.  
  
"Yeah... well..." He looked down at the black lab, who was waiting to see if Jack was going to drop his bowl of ice cream from his lap. "Jaffer was hungry."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Dotty wants to know if you want to come over. She says there's plenty."  
  
"Tell her I accept." The line went dead, and Jack closed his phone.  
  
"She accepts."  
  
"Yay!" Sam was Shawn's favorite girl Air Force officer, after all, and he didn't see her nearly as much as he'd liked to.  
  
...............  
  
About half an hour later, Jaffer's ears perked up and he headed for the door. A moment later they all heard a car door close.  
  
"Sam's here," Shawn said, unnecessarily, springing to his feet and heading for the door as well. He opened it before Carter could knock, and Sam smiled to see Jaffer and Shawn both playing welcoming committee.  
  
"Hey, Sam," Shawn said, giving her a smile that was so much like Jack's that Sam couldn't believe they'd never noticed immediately.  
  
"Hi, Shawn." She gave him a one-armed hug as she went past him and into the house. Her other hand was busy petting Jaffer, who'd been very insistent on getting some attention of his own when he saw her – acting as though he hadn't seen her in years instead of hours. "How was the trip?"  
  
"Grandma gave me fifty bucks!"  
  
Sam smiled.  
  
"Wow. What are you going to do with it?"  
  
"He's going to put it in the _bank_," Dotty said, before Shawn could respond. Shawn's mother walked over and gave Sam a welcoming smile, taking her hand and leading her over to the couch where Jack and James were sitting. "It's good to see you, Sam. Are you hungry?"  
  
Carter smiled at Shawn's scowl - which looked even more like Jack's - and shook her head. "No, thanks, Dotty. I ate just a few hours ago." She looked over at Jack as she came over to the couch, but he didn't appear to be at all repentant for having eaten again.  
  
"Something to drink, Sam?" James asked, standing up and gesturing for her to take his spot next to Jack.  
  
"Whatever's handy, James." She smiled a thank you and sat down next to Jack, who gave her a welcoming smile of his own. One that warmed her very soul.  
  
"They've been telling me about their trip," Jack told her, reaching out and rubbing Jaffer's ears when the lab came over to be petted before going back to wrestling with Shawn on the living room floor.  
  
"Oh?" Sam looked over at Dotty, who'd seated herself on the arm of the sofa next to Jack. "How was it?"  
  
"Marvelous!" The woman launched into the story she'd been telling Jack about James' mother's house, which apparently had a view that was to die for and some of the most interesting people living next door. James brought Sam a glass of tea, and she and Jack spent the rest of the day at the Adams' house, where they discussed the pool boy that lived next door to James' mother, then discussed the weather there, then switched over to discussing the Air Force Academy, which Shawn was trying to convince Dotty and James into letting him attend the next school year – even though he was about 5 years younger than the youngest cadet there.  
  
All in all, it was a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday, and Sam enjoyed herself immensely.  
  
................  
  
"Where are you heading, now?" Sam asked as Jack walked with her to her car. They'd just said goodnight to Shawn, Dotty and James – with promises to come for another visit soon – and the night was still young.  
  
"Depends on you," he told her, smiling.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
He opened her door for her, then crouched down next to the car so he could look into the driver's side window when she closed the door.  
  
"If you're going to go home, then I'm going to your house. If you're going to my house, then I'm going to my house."  
  
"You seem _pretty_ sure I want to spend the evening with you..." Sam said, teasing him.  
  
Jack didn't bite. He shrugged. "Well, it's this whole animal magnetism thing I have going on, you know?"  
  
Carter rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'll meet you at your house in about half an hour."  
  
"Okay, Sam."  
  
He didn't move from the window, though, and she smiled, because he was giving her a look that she couldn't quite read. And she was really good at reading him most of the time.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
Her smile widened, and she kissed him, softly. He always knew what to say to make her feel gooey inside.  
  
"I love you, too."  
  
"Drive safe."  
  
She nodded, and started her car when he stood up and moved away. "Don't stop on your way home and get anything to eat, Jack." She told him. "No matter how hungry Jaffer is."  
  
He gave her a half-hearted salute, and looked down at Jaffer, who was watching him from the edge of the grass. The two of them watched Sam drive down the road, and then headed for jack's car.  
  
"She never said anything about not getting something to _drink_," Jack said to Jaffer as the black lab jumped up into the truck. "How about a milkshake?"

The look on Jaffer's face plainly said the black lab definitely thought a milkshake was in order.


	16. 16

They spent the evening doing what they liked to do best when they were together. Absolutely nothing. Jack made popcorn – since Sam liked the stuff – and he and she cuddled on the sofa with Jaffer and watched a movie. Sam was stretched out with her head in Jack's lap, and Jaffer was on the end of the couch where Jack could lean against him and use him as a great big furry throw pillow – that he couldn't have _really_ thrown.  
  
Sam didn't make it through the movie. Unlike Jack, she hadn't slept in that morning, and she'd had a long weekend playing hostess to an active little girl. She was tired, and warm and comfortable, and less than halfway through the movie all of those things caught up to her and she dozed off, safe and secure in Jack's loving arms.  
  
He left her like that for a while, although he wasn't really all that interested in the movie. Running his fingers gently along her cheek, he watched her sleep, instead. It was far more interesting to him. He loved times like this, when she was in his arms and asleep. He would probably never tell her that, but he really liked the fact that she was so relaxed around him that she could fall asleep like that. It'd taken them so long to get to this point. Years of just longing for her, watching her and making jokes or sarcastic remarks to keep his desire for her at bay because they couldn't do anything about it, even if he had acknowledged what he'd felt.  
  
It was all different, now. While they didn't really bandy the relationship around on base, there was no hiding it. He saw it in the way she looked at him, and the way she'd turn and smile when he entered the room. He wasn't completely aware of it, but she saw it in his eyes as well, and the people around them who knew them the best had never seen either of them look more content.  
  
"We'd better get her to bed, eh, little man?" Jack finally whispered to Jaffer. The black lab snorted, softly in agreement, and held still while O'Neill scooted out from under Sam and gathered her up into his arms.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
She woke, but only a little.  
  
"Shhh... we're going to bed..."  
  
She nodded, and rested her head against his shoulder, secure in his arms. It was nice to be carried to bed sometimes. She dozed off again as he went down the hall and to his bedroom.  
  
He undressed her and covered her warmly, then left her alone long enough to take Jaffer out for a last chance to pee that night. While the black lab was outside, Jack set the coffee pot to automatic so it'd be brewing about the same time Jaffer woke him up in the morning, then he went and let Jaffer in, and went back to his bedroom, undressed and slid under the covers next to Sam.  
  
As if she'd been waiting for him, Sam mumbled something in her sleep and scooted closer. He wrapped his arms around her, but didn't kiss her like he wanted to, since it'd have most likely woken her up. He could hear Jaffer in the living room making final rounds of the house, and heard the popcorn bowl fall to the carpeted living room floor. With a smile, Jack realized that was one less bowl of popcorn. No wonder Jaffer hadn't followed him to bed like he normally did. Jack closed his eyes, his hand resting lightly on Sam's stomach and her cheek pressed against his shoulder, and he allowed himself to fall asleep as well.  
  
Again, he dreamed...  
  
_Xara was there, looming over him as if she'd been waiting for the chance to see him again. This time, though, Jack woke up in his dream and looked at the Seer.  
  
"What are you?" He asked.  
  
"I was going to ask you the same question."  
  
"I'm nobody."  
  
"You're hardly that, Jack." Even in his sleep he could hear a certain awe in her voice, and it annoyed him. He scowled.  
  
"I'm no one special."  
  
"You're blanketed with protections. No one needs protections like yours, but you have them. Why?"  
  
He shrugged, having absolutely no clue what she was talking about. He turned and saw Sam sleeping next to him, apparently unaware of the conversation that was taking place beside her. Jack sat up in his bed.  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I just want to see..." Xara told him, sitting quietly on the edge of his bed next to him and reaching her hand out to him.  
  
"See what?" He moved slightly away from her hand. He wasn't all that fond of being touched by strange women. Too many bad things had happened to him in his past dealings with strangers. She noticed, and smiled.  
  
"I won't hurt you."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I just want-"  
  
A low growl echoed through the room, and Jack and Xara both turned toward the door. As they watched, a shadow broke free from the other shadows in the doorway, and Jaffer walked into the room, his head low, his teeth bared and impossibly white and sharp in the faint light that seemed to be coming from nowhere.  
  
"See how he protects you?" Xara said to Jack. "For some reason he will not let me finish what-"  
  
"Enough!"  
  
Again she was interrupted. Jack turned from her to Jaffer, but the voice that had interrupted was decidedly female. Another shadow dislodged itself from the doorway, and this time Dotty Adams walked into the room, her hand resting lightly on Jaffer, who ceased his low growls, although he didn't lift his head, and the deadly serious gleam in his brown eyes remained.  
  
"Dotty?"  
  
Shawn's mom nodded, walking over to his bed, but her eyes were on Xara, who was pale – even more so than usual.  
  
"What are you?" The Seer asked.  
  
"Jack is off-limits to the likes of you," Doty told her, firmly. There was no anger in her expression or her voice – not at all like Jaffer, who was ready to pounce if given the signal. The black lab was still standing next to Dotty, having walked over with her, and up close he looked even bigger and more imposing.  
  
"He's-"  
  
"Unique. And loved. And he has too much on his plate to be constantly distracted by you."  
  
"I haven't hurt him." Xara said. "I don't mean to hurt him. I'm just curious... you don't see the power he has... the protections that are-"  
  
"I put them there."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What's going on?" Jack was tired of the women talking about him like he wasn't there. Nothing annoyed him more than that. Well, no, that wasn't true. Lots of things annoyed him more, but this was annoying, too.  
  
The women ignored his question, although Dotty reached out and rested her hand lightly against Jack's cheek. A lover's touch, he knew it immediately, and he frowned.  
  
"I won't allow you to come here again," Shawn's mother said, gently, to Xara. "You don't understand what you're dealing with and if you succeed in what you're attempting, you could very well kill him. That isn't acceptable."  
  
"Kill...? I've helped him."  
  
Dotty nodded. "In one respect you have, which is why I'm going to allow you to live. I cannot allow anyone to interfere. I will not allow anyone to interfere. Don't come back here, no matter how curious you are. Or you will not live to regret it."  
  
She looked at Jaffer, who was watching intently, and there was no mistaking the animosity in the black lab's expression.  
  
"What is he?"  
  
Jack wasn't sure if Xara was talking about him, or Jaffer, and again he scowled. He was getting heartily tired of this conversation. Before he could say anything, though, Dotty snapped her fingers and Xara was gone without a sound.  
  
Shawn's mom turned to look at Jack, and noticed the frown on his face.  
  
"Don't look so annoyed, Jack. She was only curious."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"You, of course. She's gone, now, though. And I doubt she'll return."  
  
"Did you-"  
  
"She's not hurt. I merely sent her away. She was right; she did help you. For that, I'd never hurt her."  
  
"Help me?"  
  
"She made you aware of something I wasn't, and now that it's been brought to my attention, we can fix it. Some of it now, some of it later."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Dotty didn't answer. Instead, she moved to the other side of the bed and rested her ethereal hand lightly against Sam's lower abdomen.  
  
"What are you doing?" Jack started to move to get between Dotty and Sam, but Dotty's other hand came up to stop him.  
  
"Hush, Jack. I'm trying to concentrate."  
  
He scowled, and Jaffer jumped up onto the bed next to him.  
  
_A cold nose in the small of his back woke him up, and Jack sat up with a start, looking around his room, wildly.  
  
It was dark, and quiet, and all he felt nearby were Sam and Jaffer.  
  
"Jack?" Sam's voice was sleepy, and she lifted her head off the pillow, woken up by his sudden movement. "Are you okay?"  
  
He turned to look at her, frowning in the dark, trying to catch the last fragments of a dream that was fading so rapidly he couldn't even remember what it was about.  
  
"Yeah..." he said, softly, looking down at Jaffer, who was already flopped down on the bed and getting comfortable. There were a few tiny popcorn crumbs stuck in the black lab's whiskers, gleaming white against the darkness. "Just a... dream, I guess..."  
  
"Nightmare?" Sam asked, running her hand along his bare chest, soothingly.  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
She pulled him close, and he went, cuddling against her warm body easily.  
  
"Serves you right," Sam whispered, pressing a tired kiss against his shoulder, already almost asleep once more. "No one should ever eat two lunches back to back. No matter how hungry the dog is..."  
  
He nodded against her soft skin, and closed his eyes. She was probably right. Jaffer snorted softly, and sighed, his head coming to rest on Jack's thigh, and O'Neill was asleep again almost immediately. This time, he didn't dream. 


	17. 17

"Colonel O'Neill..." Hammond's voice pulled Jack out of his reverie, and he jerked his attention back to the briefing. _Again_.  
  
"Sorry, Sir," Jack said, truly contrite. He looked at the Lieutenant – a member of SG-6. "Sorry, Lieutenant."  
  
"Something on your mind, Colonel?" Hammond asked, with a trace of annoyance in his voice. It was the third time he'd had to call Jack's attention back to the report the lieutenant was trying to give, which was annoying, yes, but not completely unusual. Even more annoying was the fact that Daniel Jackson seemed just as distracted as O'Neill was, and Hammond had been forced to call the archeologist's attention back to the briefing a couple times as well – something that never happened.  
  
"No, Sir." Jack said, frowning. "Sorry."  
  
Of course, there _was_ something on his mind. Something that was distracting him even when he knew he absolutely had to pay attention to the briefing since he and SG-1 were going to be going to this world the lieutenant was telling them about in only an hour or so. He was thinking about Sam, and the conversation he'd had with Dotty about her. He'd woken up that morning with his arms around her, and it had been the first thing he'd thought of, and the issue was still there, nagging him as he wondered if Dotty had thought of anything that would help. He wondered if he should call her, or if she'd call him.  
  
"_Colonel_!"  
  
He jerked his attention back to Hammond once more.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Under ordinary circumstances, Daniel would have been incredibly amused by the fact that Jack couldn't seem to pay attention to anything that was going on around him. This morning was slightly different, though, because Daniel was having trouble of his own when it came to concentrating. His thoughts were on the crazy conversation he'd had with the Madam Xara, and the warnings she'd given him about Jack.  
  
He'd run the conversation through his mind over and over, considering it from every angle, mostly trying to convince himself that she'd been some kind of quack. But it was impossible. He hadn't even mentioned why he was there when she'd mentioned Jack and Sam. He wasn't wearing anything military, and he hardly looked military, so there was no way she could have connected him to Jack by guessing – this Daniel was _sure_ of. She'd seemed to know so much – although some things he thought maybe she might have been making up, since he was hardly able to consider himself as a protector like she'd said, and the more he looked at Jaffer, who was sitting on the floor between him and Jack, the less he thought the black lab looked like a guardian spirit. Daniel was under the impression that spirits – guardian or otherwise – were ghostly white swirly things. Not huge black dogs with incredible appetites and almost manic possessiveness towards their owners.  
  
"Doctor Jackson?"  
  
Daniel jerked his attention back to the briefing, and Hammond scowled.  
  
"Sorry, General."  
  
The briefing lasted far longer than it should have, and when it was over, Sam was fairly certain that she and Teal'c were the only two that could have said what had been discussed. Daniel had been distracted since it had started, and Jack had been distracted all morning. Not moody, or distant, since every time she'd drawn his attention back to her, he'd apologized, and the touches he'd given her were loving, and the smiles he'd tossed her way always reached his eyes. Something was bothering him – distracting him about as badly as she'd ever seen him distracted – but whatever it was, it wasn't something he was annoyed about. Which meant he was worried about something, and doing a bang up job hiding it from her.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked him again, once they'd been dismissed from the briefing and were heading for supply to get suited up to go off-world.  
  
"I'm fine, Sam," He told her – again. She didn't look convinced, but he gave her a slight smile. "Really, I am."  
  
"Is something bothering you?" She asked, figuring she'd give it one more try.  
  
"Just wondering where you'd like to go for dinner tonight?"  
  
She shook her head, certain that _that_ wasn't what it was.  
  
"Dotty James left me a message on my machine asking if I would have coffee with her this evening sometime," Sam said. She wondered why Jack suddenly stumbled and almost tripped over Jaffer, who'd been trotting next to Teal'c's yellow lab.  
  
"Sorry, little man," Jack said, slapping his dog affectionately. Jaffer wagged his tail; he didn't care what Jack did! "So you're having coffee with Dotty?"  
  
"Unless you have something else in mind?"  
  
"No!" Jack flushed slightly, and cleared his throat. "I mean, no... I don't have anything in mind."  
  
She started to say something, but they'd reached supply, and Sam was distracted now as she and the others drew their weapons and supplies and vests. By the time they'd reached the embarkation room, Jack was looking a bit more focused – mainly because he was always focused before taking Jaffer off-world with him anywhere, and even Daniel – who'd looked just as distracted as Jack had during the briefing – looked like he was ready to go.  
  
They stood at the bottom of the ramp, and Sam looked over her shoulder at the command center where she saw Hammond standing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jack nod, and Hammond returned the gesture.  
  
"SG-1, you have a go."  
  
The gate began dialing.  
  
...................  
  
The mission was a fairly simple one – although there was a chance it could be dangerous. SG-6 had found a large village of people where the Tok'ra believed a minor system lord was hiding from a major system lord who was apparently bent on ripping his snaky ass out of the host he was in and turning him into soup – or something. Jack hadn't really been paying all that much attention at the time the story had been told. Since no one knew what the Goa'uld was supposed to look like, there was the slight problem of finding out who – if anyone – had a snake in them.  
  
Not that the SGC was in the business of doing favors for the major system lords, but it would be a boon for the Tok'ra if they could find this Goa'uld, because it would give their operative a very high position in the major system lord's echelon. And that could possibly come in handy for the SGC as well as the Tok'ra, so they'd agreed to send in people to have a look for themselves. SG-6 had been sent, but they hadn't had any luck. The villagers had been friendly enough – although some had watched them with suspicion – and none of them had glowing eyes, which was the only way SG-6 would know if there was a Goa'uld amongst the villagers.  
  
SG-1 didn't have that problem. They had Jack and Jaffer, and both labs could tell the difference between a person, and a person with a symbiote inside them – larval or otherwise. Even better, both were trained to point out those particular people if the command was given, and that would definitely come in handy when it came to this assignment.  
  
"Are we ready?" Jack asked his team.  
  
Teal'c and Sam nodded, and Jack scowled when he looked over at Daniel, who was staring at him, but not actually _looking_ at him.  
  
"_Daniel_!"  
  
The archeologist was brought back from his musings about Xara once more, and he flinched.  
  
"Sorry. Yes. I'm ready."  
  
Jack wasn't so sure about that. He took a step closer to Daniel, and gestured for the others to precede him through the gate.  
  
"Stay close to Sam, little man," Jack murmured to Jaffer as Carter disappeared through the Stargate. Jaffer wagged his tail, and bounded up the ramp, close behind Jack (the dog) and Teal'c, where he'd be close to Sam as well. Jack had decided that Daniel was going to need a bit more watching than usual, and since he couldn't give his full attention to watching Sam and Daniel, he'd turn Sam's safety over to Jaffer – who he trusted completely to make sure she stayed safe.  
  
"Let's go, Daniel," Jack said, grabbing his friend's jacket and heading up the ramp. "Try to get your head out of your ass, and stay with the rest of the class, okay?"  
  
Daniel nodded, flushing.  
  
"Sorry, Jack." 


	18. 18

Planet PY3-333 was mountainous. The Stargate on the planet was at the bottom of what was probably the largest mountain there was, and the elevation was enough to make it cold, even though the sun was shining brightly down on them when they came through. Jack looked around with Daniel beside him, standing at the top of the little mound that elevated the Stargate while he got his bearings.  
  
There wasn't anyone there to meet them, but he hadn't expected anyone – of course, he couldn't remember if a welcoming committee had been mentioned during the briefing or not. Sam was down on the level ground to the right, looking around for anything that might be out of the ordinary considering what had been discussed in the briefing, with Jaffer standing near at hand, guarding her while he pretended to look around as well. Teal'c was on the left with Jack, the Jaffa and the yellow lab looking intently into the trees that surrounded that section of the area, watching to make sure there were no surprises waiting for them.  
  
"The area appears to be clear, O'Neill," Teal'c told him, looking back at Jack.  
  
"Here, too," Sam agreed, turning around and facing the gate, her P-90 butt resting on her hip like a shotgun being held by a bird hunter.  
  
"Let's go find the villagers, then," Jack said, stepping down off the little hill. "Coming Daniel?"  
  
Daniel nodded, walking next to Jack with a slight frown on his face, but Sam couldn't tell if it were annoyance or if he was curious about something he'd seen or something else.  
  
"The village is supposed to be at the bottom of the trail," Sam said, pointing to a path of dirt that was running in a fairly straight line through the trees and grass.  
  
"Well, we'll go see if Snaky is there, then, and get you back in time for your coffee date." Jack said, taking point himself. He was in a bit of a hurry to get this day over with once he'd heard that Sam and Dotty were going to meet that evening. He didn't really dare hope that Shawn's mother had already figured out what was wrong with Sam, but if she was ready to meet up and talk, then maybe she had a few ideas, and just needed to ask Sam. Or something.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
He was brought out of his inner thoughts by Daniel's voice, and he turned to look at the younger man, who'd been walking next to him still, since Jack hadn't told him what other position to take.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I _asked_ if you wanted me to take point." Daniel repeated, scowling slightly. Jack was annoyed that he hadn't been paying attention, but O'Neill wasn't completely there at that moment, either, and Daniel felt it was just a little unfair that he'd been told to get his head out of his ass, when Jack's was obviously someplace in the same vicinity. Besides, Jack needed to pay more attention to what was going on around him. Hadn't Xara told Daniel that Jack needed to be carefully watched, or something like that? Daniel couldn't remember her exact words at that particular moment, but it had been something like that. Jack should be paying better attention. Daniel couldn't be expected to watch his back and his front, after all.  
  
"_Daniel_!"  
  
The annoyance in Jack's voice brought Daniel's thoughts back to what was going on around him, just in time to see Jack scowling.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just told you to take left flank. God _damn_ it, why aren't you paying-"  
  
Two snarls interrupted Jack's tirade, and both men turned toward the sound, just in time to see Jaffer and Jack both rushing towards them, Jaffer from the position he'd been in next to Sam, and Jack from the position he'd been in next to Teal'c. Jack turned towards the direction the labs were heading, and saw a form rising up from behind a huge tree stump. A form that looked a lot like a Jaffa holding a staff weapon.  
  
There was no way the dogs would get there in time. Jack and Daniel both knew it instinctively.  
  
"Watch out!"  
  
The cry came from both of them.  
  
Jack pushed Daniel at the same moment Daniel lunged against him, each trying to get the other out of the line of fire. The two stumbled, and Daniel got tangled in Jack's right arm, which held his P-90. Jack couldn't bring the weapon up to bear, and Daniel managed to get his up, but he hit Jack with the barrel.  
  
The first Jaffa was joined by another, from almost exactly the same position, and then another from a few yards to the left. All three weapons fired, one bolt of light slamming into Daniel's upper leg, one crashing into Jack's chest, and the third going astray when Teal'c's own weapon fired and knocked the closest Jaffa back on his ass.  
  
The two remaining Jaffa turned their weapons on Teal'c, ignoring the dogs, which turned out to be a mistake they'd never make again. Jack reached them first, being faster than his heavier, larger brother, and the yellow lab's teeth closed on the wrist of the Jaffa who'd shot Daniel. There was a muffled curse and the weight of the yellow lab dragged the Jaffa warrior to the ground even as Jaffer reached his chosen target – the one that had shot Jack.  
  
Jaffer didn't bother to go for the wrist as he'd been trained. There was just a bit of skin showing between the helmet-like mask the warrior was wearing and the tunic that protected his chest, and with a lunge Jaffer crashed into the Jaffa, his considerable weight taking the man down. The motion caused the Jaffa's head to snap back, baring even more of his throat, and Jaffer went for it in an instant, fangs flashing. A sharp cry of pain and surprise ended in a gurgle as the black lab literally ripped the Jaffa's throat wide open.  
  
"_Jack_!"  
  
Sam had seen Jack and Daniel both go down, but because of the dogs being already in the line of fire, she didn't dare use her machine gun. She was sure of her aim, but the labs were everywhere in an instant, and she couldn't get a clear shot without risking shooting one of them. The machine gun simply scattered bullets too widely at that range. Teal'c's staff blast was far more affective, and she was moving forward even as Jack had downed his Jaffa and Jaffer was lunging at his.  
  
Just as she reached Daniel, who was closest, another Jaffa appeared from behind a tree – this one to the right of the pathway. Sam opened fire immediately, mowing him down in an instant. Two more sprang out from their cover, though, and she knew things were going from very bad to even worse far faster than she could have imagined.  
  
One of them pointed his weapon at Teal'c, and the other was raising his and aiming it at Sam. She yelled a warning to Teal'c, turning her weapon towards the closest one and out of the corner of her eye seeing two more Jaffa coming in behind them to completely seal off the ambush.  
  
Then Jaffer was there. The black lab didn't even snarl this time as he slashed his sharp teeth through the leg of the closest of the two Jaffa that were threatening Sam. His fangs ripped through sinew and muscle right by the kneecap and with a cry of pain the Jaffa went down, his leg unable to support his weight. Jaffer didn't wait to see where he landed; he lunged at the other one, going for the wrist this time, and immediately joined by Jack, who was snarling furiously – pissed beyond measure that anyone had dared interrupt his exciting off-world adventure by shooting at his Teal'c. The two labs were a force to reckon with when they were on the offensive and with a scream the Jaffa went down under their combined attack.  
  
At the same moment, Teal'c was dispatching the two that had tried to close off their retreat. Little did the two Jaffa know, Teal'c and Sam had no intention of retreating without Jack and Daniel. His aim was as deadly as the weapon in his hands, and the two went down, one with a large hole in his chest, the other with most of his head and mask missing.  
  
Sam looked for another target, but when none presented itself, she fell next to Daniel, who was closest.  
  
He was conscious, but already going into shock, she could tell. His face was pale, and his eyes were bright with pain and surprise.  
  
"_Jack_!" He gasped through gritted teeth. "Sam! How is he?" Daniel tried to turn to look for himself, but the motion forced him to move his legs and he paled even further as pain lanced through him.  
  
"Hold still, Daniel," Sam ordered, pulling off the bandana she'd had around her neck and wrapping it around his leg, trying not to hurt him further, but knowing she had to get the wound covered.  
  
He made a pained noise, and closed his eyes, tightly for a moment, then opened them just in time to see Jack's nose coming at him, the yellow lab whuffling him to see if he was okay. Daniel's cheek was smeared with blood from Jack's jowls and neck – evidence of the ferocity of his attacks.  
  
"Jack?" Sam turned from Daniel just as Teal'c dropped down next to O'Neill, who was lying incredibly still in the dirt of the path. The Jaffa rolled him over carefully while Jaffer came springing in, his black face smeared and bloody. The black lab whined softly. The force of the bolt had shredded Jack's vest, and his chest was a bloody mess of ruined shirt, vest, skin and flesh.  
  
"We must return to the Stargate," Teal'c said, dropping his staff weapon and calling jack and Jaffer to defensive positions. Jack obeyed instantly, but Jaffer took a moment longer, looming over Jack until the Jaffa stood up, taking O'Neill's inert body with him and slinging it over his shoulder.  
  
"Can you get Daniel Jackson?" He asked Sam. She shook herself out of her shock at seeing Jack so still, and nodded, knowing that they were still in a lot of danger. If there were more Jaffa – and there was no reason to believe there weren't – then they could still be ambushed and Teal'c was right. They needed to get back to the safety of the Stargate.  
  
"I got him." She stood up, pulling Daniel to his feet and taking most of his weight against her so his ruined leg wouldn't collapse him.  
  
He cried out in protest, even though he knew she was doing what she had to do, and Sam shifted her position just a little, trying to keep from hurting him any more than she had to.  
  
"Come on, Daniel!"  
  
"Jack!"  
  
"Teal'c has him! _Move_!"  
  
Stumbling, she turned, dragging Daniel beside her as she followed Teal'c towards the Stargate, the black lab and the yellow lab guarding their escape with lips pulled back and fangs bared, watching and waiting for anyone that might be foolish enough to get in the way. 


	19. 19

The Stargate started dialing and the iris immediately sprang closed.  
  
"_Off-world activation!"_  
  
Alarms were going off everywhere as security personnel reacted as they'd always reacted; coming to the embarkation room with weapons up and ready to protect the SGC from whoever might be coming through.  
  
Hammond had barely poured himself a cup of coffee and was starting to sift through the paperwork on his desk when he heard the first alarm. He was on his feet instantly, coffee and paperwork both forgotten as he scrambled to the door and down the steps to the command center.  
  
"Receiving SG-1's code, Sir!" The sergeant called to him as he hurried through the door.  
  
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered. Something had to be wrong. They'd only been gone fifteen minutes. "_Medical teams to the embarkation room!"_  
  
The iris swooshed open just as the gate finished dialing and flared. Hammond didn't see this; he was already on the stairs on the way down to the room.  
  
Teal'c was the first to come through. He was smeared in blood, and carrying Colonel O'Neill. There was a concerned murmur when the security teams saw who it was and what he had, but the Jaffa didn't hesitate. And he didn't stop when Fraiser and Hammond entered the room almost at the same time. He'd seen the severity of Jack's wound and knew he needed to be in the infirmary immediately, with no time to stop to be put on a gurney. He walked right past Janet, who understood immediately what the Jaffa was doing. Even as Sam came stumbling through the gate supporting Daniel and flanked by the two bloody labs, Janet was ordering medics to stay and check the rest of SG-1.  
  
"Teal'c! What happened?" Janet was running behind and a little to the side of Teal'c, trying to get a first glimpse of the severity of O'Neill's injury.  
  
"He was hit by a staff weapon," Teal'c informed her calmly, although his face was hard, which was a sure sign of inner turmoil. Jaffer came lunging down the hall, having done his duty to make sure Sam arrived home safely. He had bigger concerns now that she was safe; he had to stay with Jack. Frasier almost tripped over the black lab, who was literally dripping blood – most of it from the Jaffa whose throat he'd ripped open. Very messy.  
  
"Do we need to call Monica?"  
  
"I do not believe so." He turned and entered the infirmary, and a crowd of medics was already waiting for him and his burden. He laid Jack carefully down on the closest of the examination beds, and Jaffer jumped up immediately.  
  
"_No!"_ Janet reached for Jaffer's collar, and the black lab growled the deep warning growl that plainly said he didn't want her to touch him. He moved to Jack's feet, straddling his legs where he'd be out of the way, but when Janet reached for him again, the black head went down, and the growl turned into a snarl – something he'd never done to Janet or anyone he liked. With the blood still dripping off his jowls and teeth, it was truly a gruesome and frightening sight. Despite herself, Janet jerked her hand back.  
  
"Teal'c! Move him!" She ordered, already cutting the remainder of Jack's uniform off to bare the wound on his chest. Certain the Jaffa could do what she couldn't, Janet was already calling out orders to her medics, who started working on O'Neill, all of them avoiding the black lab who was crouched over Jack's lower legs and watching for any threat to his position as he hovered over his charge.  
  
Teal'c knew he'd be able to do no such thing. He wasn't _afraid_ of Jaffer – no matter what he'd seen those teeth do to the Jaffa on the planet – and Teal'c had witnessed the black lab ripping the Jaffa's throat out, so there was no denying Jaffer was capable of anything. Teal'c didn't dare try to separate Jaffer from Jack.  
  
"I cannot move him, Doctor Fraiser," The Jaffa said, stepping back so he was out of the way. "He wishes to remain."  
  
Janet was too preoccupied by what she was doing to argue – although had she been thinking a little clearer she might have ordered one of the medics to sedate the dog. Instead, she gave O'Neill a shot of synthetic adrenaline, hoping that would give him a jolt. He was pale and unresponsive, and she'd already put a breathing tube down his throat since his breathing was sporadic at best – and his heartbeat wasn't much better. She didn't have time to argue.  
  
..................  
  
"_Major_! What happened?"  
  
Sam had just turned Daniel over to the medics that had rolled a gurney into the embarkation room and she looked up from watching them begin to work on him to see Hammond hovering close by. Jaffer had just vanished at a full run out the door, and Sam knew he was going to find Jack. She wished that she could, too.  
  
"Major?" Hammond's voice was softer this time, and Sam felt tears threatening.  
  
"We were ambushed, Sir..." She said, hoarsely, trying to fight down the lump in her throat. The ambush hadn't been all that well planned and executed, but Jack and Daniel hadn't seen it coming, and she knew they should have. Sam hadn't been able to hear what they were saying to each other, but she'd known by the body language that they'd been arguing with each other and not paying attention like they should have been.  
  
"By whom? Jaffa?"  
  
"Eight of them. They came from all directions." She shook her head. "We'd never have made it out if the dogs hadn't seen it coming and broken it up."  
  
"Are you injured?"  
  
She was smeared with blood in a few places, but Hammond couldn't see if it was hers, or someone else's.  
  
"No, Sir."  
  
He put his arm around her – to support her, of course – and walked her down the corridor, waving off a medic who came over. Sam leaned against him, unable to keep from taking the support he offered so obliquely. It had all happened so fast. Jack was down. Daniel was badly hurt. She bit back a sob, and Hammond's grip tightened just a little.  
  
"Easy, Major." He murmured gently to her. "They're in the best of hands, and you know it."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
He took her to the infirmary. The main room was bustling with organized chaos as two teams of medical personnel worked at separate tables on Jack and Daniel. Janet was snapping orders with a practiced voice – calm and steady, despite the fact that she was working hard to stabilize Jack, who wasn't stabilizing. The other team was just as serious, but the main focus on this team was Daniel's leg, which had been mangled by the shot he'd taken. The competent doctors were already working on saving the leg, patching it together like a jigsaw puzzle – albeit one that had several pieces missing.  
  
Sam looked around for Jaffer, wondering where he'd gotten to and why he wasn't in the infirmary like she'd expected him to be, when a corpsman working on Jack moved slightly, and she saw Jaffer was on Jack's legs, blood dripping off his black hide, and his steady gaze focused on watching Janet work. Sam couldn't believe Janet was allowing it, but she understood a moment later, when one of the medics came too close to Jaffer and the black lab's lips curled back into a snarl when the man tried to push him out of the way.   
  
She was allowing it because Jaffer'd given her no other choice. He wasn't going to leave Jack's side, no matter who wanted him to. Sam doubted _she'd_ be able to get him to move, and she didn't even go over and try. She felt strangely comforted by the fact that Jaffer was with Jack, and she bit back another sob as she watched the teams of medics continue their work. She was so intent on it, she didn't even notice when Hammond released her, turning her over to Teal'c, whose strong arm came around her – to support her, of course, in case she was injured. Although the Jaffa knew Carter hadn't taken an injury. Not a physical one, anyway. 


	20. 20

_"You have to hold on, Jack..."  
  
He opened his eyes and saw Dotty Adams standing next to him. She was pale and looked slightly concerned, but when she saw he was looking at her, she smiled softly at him.  
  
"Dotty?"  
  
"I'm coming, Jack, but I can't get there fast enough. You have to fight."  
  
"I'm dying?"  
  
"Jaffer's sustaining you."  
  
"He can do that?"  
  
She nodded. "As long as he's with you, he can. The two of you are linked in ways you'd never understand."  
  
"He's a dog."  
  
"You know better, Jack." She told him, resting her palm against his cheek tenderly. "You've always known he's more than that."  
  
"I have...?" He closed his eyes, confused and too tired to try to figure out what she meant. He wanted to sleep more than anything.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
The sharpness in her voice forced his eyes open once more. Dotty was still there, and now he could feel Jaffer was there as well. There was a comforting weight on his legs, and Jack could feel... something else. A tiny, but steady, trickle of energy coming into him from somewhere else.  
  
"You have to_ fight_, Jack." Dotty told him, firmly. "You have to hold on."  
  
"I'm fine, Dotty," Jack told her. "Relax."  
  
"You need to stay awake."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"We need you too badly to let you sleep."  
  
"It's just sleep."  
  
"Sam needs you."  
  
"It's sleep, Dotty. That's all."  
  
"If you die, Jaffer will die."  
  
"_What_?" This woke him up a little more. He tried to sit up, but found he was pinned to the bed he was on by some force he couldn't fight. Couldn't even struggle against. "Jaffer's hurt?"  
  
"He's fine, Jack." Her voice was fading, though, getting more and more distant. "You have to fight, Jack. Don't sleep until I tell you that you can."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Do what I tell you."  
  
He scowled. People were always telling him what to do.  
  
"Jack..."  
  
This voice was different. Masculine. Loving in a way he'd never heard before. Not even a whisper in the dark from Sam. Transcending love. Beyond anything Jack could understand.  
  
"Stay with me..."  
  
The trickle of energy became a little bigger as Jack focused on that voice, a voice that was forcing him to stay awake through sheer will.  
  
"Who...?" He tried to speak, but the voice hushed him.  
  
"Later. Concentrate on staying awake for now, okay?"  
  
"You won't leave me?"  
  
"_Never_."  
  
Jack nodded, and closed his eyes, but he didn't try to sleep. Instead, he focused once more on the voice, waiting to hear that he could sleep, but finding himself able to stay awake far easier than he'd thought it was possible. The entire time, the energy infused him, giving him the strength he needed and at the same time wrapping him in a blanket of love and comfort._  
  
How long she stood there with Teal'c, Sam would never know. She watched the bustling activities of the two teams of medics, trying to understand what was happening with the people she loved by listening to the orders the doctors were giving. The ones working on Daniel weren't as frantic, speaking in low tones and murmurs as they called for their tools and various medicines and bent over his leg with intense concentration as they worked on putting together the sinews and muscles and God only knew what else.  
  
Janet Fraiser's team was a bit noisier as they worked on Jack. They had all given up on trying to move Jaffer off the Colonel's legs, and were carefully avoiding his teeth, although unless someone came too close to him, he didn't actually bare them at anyone. The medics were concentrating on getting IVs into Jack, replacing blood and other fluids lost, and pumping him full of antibiotics to quell any infection or fever. Janet was working furiously, but she was starting to tire, and Sam thought that Jaffer, too, was beginning to droop.

The black lab was certainly resting heavily on Jack's legs, now, smearing them with blood from his chest. Sam wondered if he'd been hurt without her noticing, and was just deciding that she'd better go see if he'd let her look when Janet broke off from the rest of the group and headed over to her, stopping only for a moment to talk to one of the doctors that was working on Daniel.  
  
Hammond had noticed as well, and walked over from the corner he'd been standing in, trying to stay out of the way, anxious to hear what was happening.  
  
"Janet?"  
  
Fraiser could hear the fear in Sam's voice, and she wished she had better news to give her friend.  
  
"It's bad, Sam," she said, gently, trying to soften the blow. "I can't get him to stabilize. He's lost a lot of blood, and his chest is badly injured."  
  
"He's not going...?" Carter couldn't even finish the sentence. Her face had gone pale, and she felt her knees give out. Only Teal'c's supporting arm kept her upright, and Janet and the Jaffa guided her to a padded bench to sit on. Janet knelt in front of her, and Teal'c and Hammond sat on either side of her.  
  
"Sam, I don't even know why he's alive, now." Janet said. "He shouldn't have made it back through the gate. Not with the injuries he's sustained. I'm using machines to keep his heart beating and forcing oxygen into him, but they're not going to be enough. Even if I _could_ keep him on them forever, he's still slipping away."  
  
"What about Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked, needing some good news. He was as numb as Sam was with the news on Jack, and only the fact that he absolutely couldn't allow anyone to see him break down was keeping him from crying out in denial. Unfortunately, Janet's news there wasn't much better.  
  
"He's probably going to lose his leg. There's a lot of nerve damage, and Doctor Hild doesn't know how much – if any – he can repair."  
  
"This isn't happening..." Sam closed her eyes, putting her head in her hands. Things had been so good only that morning, and now she couldn't imagine how they could be any worse.  
  
"We've got to get Sally here."  
  
"I'll call her myself," Hammond said, wrapping his arm around Carter. He was thinking that he'd better call Jacob as well. Someone was going to have to stay with Sam, and her father was the best choice, really.  
  
"How..." Sam looked up from her hands and over to the table, where the medics were still working, changing IV bags, and checking machinery. "How long... Janet?"  
  
She understood the question, and frowned slightly, shaking her head.  
  
"I don't know, Sam... minutes... hours... it depends on him, I guess." She honestly couldn't believe Jack had held on as long as he had. There was nothing keeping him alive except the machines, and they weren't really doing all that much, Janet knew.  
  
"This is not acceptable."  
  
All heads in the infirmary turned at the sound of the strange voice.


	21. 21

Author's Note: I always end up making a couple little technical mistakes... Hope you all can bear with them.

..................

Sam sprang to her feet immediately, with Hammond, Teal'c and Janet right behind her. All four of them stared as Dotty Adams walked into the room. Beyond her initial statement, she didn't stop to talk. She walked directly to the chaos that was going on around Jack's bed, and was followed by Sam and the others, all wondering what she was doing there, and how she'd known something was happening.  
  
"_Don't_, Dotty," Sam warned as the woman reached out a hand towards Jaffer. "He's been snapping at everyone right now."  
  
The medics watched in surprise, though, as Jaffer accepted her touch, turning his tired brown eyes from Jack to Dotty.  
  
"He was forced to, Sam," Dotty said, noticing the blood all over the black lab. She stroked his ears – which were free of blood – for a moment, then moved her hand to Jack's chest.  
  
"What are-"  
  
"I won't hurt him, Doctor Fraiser."  
  
"You _can't_ hurt him," Janet said, bleakly. "He's-"  
  
"I can help."  
  
She'd done it before. She'd healed Jack and Jaffer both, although Jack hadn't been so badly hurt that time. None of them had seen it done, though, and really, they'd all forgotten about it.  
  
"Can you heal him?" Sam asked, hope in her voice where only moments before there'd been nothing but agony.  
  
"Shhh..." Dotty put her hand against Jack's lower belly, unwilling to rest it on the bloody mess that was all that was left of his chest. She closed her eyes, and everyone in the room held their breath as time seemed to stop for a long moment.  
  
As they watched, the wound on Jack's chest started healing. From the inside out, they could see flesh binding itself together in a gruesome but fascinating manner, and could see the flow of blood trickling from the injury slow and then cease as the arteries and veins that had been torn began to seal themselves. Jack's pale face began to regain some of its normal color and the room was so silent that everyone in it heard the stuttering gasp he made as he tried to breathe on his own around the breathing tube that Janet had put in.  
  
Dotty opened her eyes, and looked down at him. The wound in his chest was still there, but it was no more serious looking now than a bad abrasion, and she moved her hand from his belly to his chest, now, so she could feel his heart under her palm beginning to find its own rhythm once more. There was a deep sigh – this time from Jaffer, and the black lab's head came down on Jack's upper thigh, his eyes closing as he seemed to collapse. Certainly he was sprawled flatter than Sam had ever seen him.  
  
She stepped forward, her hand going to Jaffer's head, but the lab didn't open his eyes at the touch.  
  
"Is he okay?" Sam whispered, wondering what was wrong with the dog. "Should I get his vet?"  
  
"He's fine, Sam," Dotty said, reassuringly. "Just leave the two of them alone for a while. Jack's not completely healed, but he's in no danger, now."  
  
Carter's hand went from Jaffer's bloody head to Jack's chest, and she looked down at him, fighting back tears once more – although these weren't the helpless ones she'd wanted to cry only a few minutes before.  
  
"I can't thank you enough..."  
  
"You don't _need_ to thank me at all," Shawn's mother assured her with a smile. She rested her hand on Sam's shoulder for a moment, and then turned and saw Daniel lying still and silent on the bed next to Jack's, still surrounded by doctors and medics, although all of them were staring at Dotty. Blood was dripping off the table from the open wound in Daniel's leg, but none of the people in the room noticed.  
  
"Daniel was hurt?"  
  
"His leg," Fraiser confirmed, needlessly. There was no mistaking the serious injury, and one of the doctors looked down, realized they were letting it bleed unchecked, and pressed a bandage on it.  
  
"Can you help him, Dotty?" Sam asked.  
  
She nodded, and rested her hand on Daniel's thigh, and closed her eyes once more. Again, they all held their breath, but it wasn't so long this time before her eyes opened and she removed the bloody bandage the medic had pressed down on it. This one was healed completely. There wasn't even a scar to show where the wound had been that moments before had threatened Daniel's entire leg.  
  
"_Jack_!"  
  
Daniel came to immediately, and jerked so hard that he rolled himself completely off the table he'd been on. Teal'c and a doctor jumped forward, and the Jaffa grabbed Daniel in a tight grip before he could hurt himself.  
  
"Easy!"  
  
Janet cupped her hands on Daniel's face, forcing him to look at her. His eyes were wild and slightly out of focus, and Sam and the others could well understand why. The last he'd known, they were under attack, and now he was surrounded by people. It was a terrible way to wake up. Although it was much better than waking up without your leg.  
  
"Daniel, it's okay. Calm down." Her voice was calm, and her hands were forcing her to look at him and not everywhere else.  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"He's okay."  
  
"No! He's hurt!" Daniel had seen the shot. He knew it was serious. He struggled to free himself from Teal'c's grip.  
  
"Daniel!" Her voice rang through the infirmary, and he was forced once more to look at her. "He's fine."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Yes."  
  
She turned his head so he could see the bed Jack was laying on, and Daniel struggled to his feet so he could get a better look. He didn't look completely well, but he looked a lot better than Daniel had thought he would have.  
  
"He's okay?"  
  
Janet nodded, then turned to her medics. "Let's get him into a bed, people."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes."  
  
She made a gesture to one of the nurses and the woman handed her a syringe, which Janet injected into Daniel before he could object. A moment later, he slumped in Teal'c's grip.  
  
"Put him to bed, Teal'c," Fraiser said, gesturing for one of the medics to lead the way. The Jaffa picked Daniel up easily, and carried him off.  
  
"He'll be okay?" Sam asked.  
  
"I'll make him sleep the rest of the day, then give him a chance to wake up slowly, so he can gather his wits about him." She turned to Dotty, and if the relief in Sam's face was profound, it was even more so in Janet's. "Thank you."  
  
Dotty nodded, smiling.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"How did you get in here?" Hammond asked.  
  
"How did you know...?" Sam asked right afterward.  
  
"I was called," Dotty said, moving over to the bench and sitting down. Healing wasn't easy, and she was a little tired.  
  
"By who?"  
  
"It doesn't matter."  
  
The look in Hammond's eyes said it did matter, but he was just as relieved as the others were to have Jack and Daniel healed, that he was willing to let it slide. If she didn't want to answer, he wasn't going to press the issue. Not that he could have anyways, he was sure.  
  
.


	22. 22

Author's Note: Sorry you all, I've been buckled under a ton of work today, so I haven't been able to write much.

.......................

"You _do_ realize this is a top secret base, right?" Hammond said, scowling slightly. He was rather proud of the fact that his security was top-notch, and slightly stung that Dotty had managed to make it through that security without raising so much as a single alarm or alert.  
  
"I know," Dotty said, watching as Fraiser went over to Jack's bed and gently took the now unnecessary breathing tube out of Jack's throat. The Colonel coughed, causing Sam to go over to his bed as well, but Dotty stayed where she was. "Your security is very good, General Hammond, but nothing you have could have kept me out."  
  
That was a subtle reminder of what she really was, since she knew Hammond was aware that she wasn't human. She looked so ordinary, however, it was easy to forget.  
  
"You didn't hurt any of my men, did you?" He asked.  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "Of course not. They didn't even see me."  
  
He left it at that, and watched as Sam took Jack's hand, even though O'Neill still hadn't woken up, yet.  
  
"We're going to move him to a more comfortable bed, Sam," Janet said as Teal'c returned from putting Daniel to bed. She'd been waiting for him, and she waved him over when he entered the room.  
  
"Will you carry Jaffer, Teal'c?" The black lab hadn't opened his eyes, and seemed weak. Janet didn't know what was wrong with him, but she was well aware that he wasn't going to be able to make it to Jack's new room on his own, and she thought that if the damned dog had fought so hard to stay with Jack when he thought he was dying, she might as well let him stay – _this time_ – with him when she now knew he was going to be okay.  
  
Teal'c nodded, and carefully scooped Jaffer up into his arms. Really, he was probably the only one who could easily carry the lab, and her medical personnel hadn't shown any desire to be anywhere near him just then, anyways. Probably still remembering exactly how dangerous he'd looked with those teeth flashing at them.  
  
"He is covered in blood, Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c noted. It was dried blood, but it was matting his glossy black hide.  
  
"We'll wash him up when he feels better," Janet told Teal'c, shrugging. She motioned for the medics to get Jack onto a rolling gurney and get him moving, and turned to Sam, who was hovering close by, still holding Jack's hand. "Let me get Colonel O'Neill cleaned up a bit and comfortable, Sam, then you can stay with him, okay?"  
  
She wanted to argue, but she knew there was no point in it. Janet was being reasonable, and even though _Jack_ would have complained and argued with her, Sam was too grateful he was alive to be able to protest anything just then. She nodded.  
  
"Why don't you get cleaned up, yourself?" Janet suggested, looking pointedly at her uniform, which was smeared with blood from Daniel and Jack (the dog) where the yellow lab had nuzzled her.  
  
She nodded again, feeling very tired even though it was still early in the day. She headed back to where Dotty and Hammond were still talking.  
  
"I'm going to go clean up, Sir," She told Hammond.  
  
The General nodded, looking at Sam's blood-stained uniform. "Good idea, Major." His gaze transferred to Dotty, who looked as though she'd regained her equilibrium a bit. "Would you like a tour of the base, Mrs. Adams?" As far as he knew, she'd never been there before.  
  
"Actually, General Hammond," Dotty said, shaking her head. "I'd like a word with Sam. If you don't mind, I think I'll tag along with her?"  
  
"If Major Carter doesn't mind, I don't." The two looked at Sam, who shrugged.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
With a last look over at the bed that the medics were easing Jack out of, Sam walked out of the room, with Dotty beside her.  
  
Hammond watched them go, and then walked over to Janet, who was taking the last of the IV tubes out of O'Neill's arm before they moved him to the new room.  
  
"He's going to be all right?" Hammond asked.  
  
Janet smiled, and nodded. Hammond had never seen her looking so relieved.  
  
"He'll be fine, Sir. I'll have to wait until he wakes up to see how he's doing for sure, but compared to the alternative, a couple day's rest is much preferable to what might have been."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
Hammond looked over at Jaffer, whose head was resting on Teal'c's powerful forearm. His snout and jowls still stained with blood.  
  
"Call Monica Ray in, Doctor." Hammond ordered. "I don't know why Jaffer looks so exhausted, but I'm not going to take any chances. See if she'll come and take a look at Jaffer – and at Jack." Hammond looked down at the blood- smeared yellow lab, who was watching everything that was going on from his normal spot next to Teal'c.  
  
"Yes, Sir." She agreed completely.  
  
"I'll send up authorization to the gates and checkpoints for her."  
  
"I'll let her know, Sir."  
  
"Keep me informed."  
  
Janet nodded, and Hammond left.  
  
"He's ready," one of the medics told Fraiser. She looked down and saw they'd moved O'Neill over to the gurney and had covered him. Jack was no longer on any life support since it wasn't necessary, but Janet would hook him up to an EKG machine when they got him to his new room. Just to keep track of what was going on with him until he was awake and could tell her himself.  
  
She and Teal'c walked side by side as they led the way out of the main room of the infirmary and to one of the small but private recovery rooms. Daniel was in the first room, and Janet gestured for Teal'c to go through the next door before her. She waited and watched as the gurney passed her, then joined them.  
  
"Set Jaffer on the bed, Teal'c," Janet said. "Then go get yourself cleaned up and take care of Jack. I'll call you when Monica shows up."  
  
The Jaffa nodded, and settled Jaffer on the bed, which was plenty big enough for O'Neill and the large lab, then left the room with Jack trotting at his side.  
  
"Let's get him cleaned up," Fraiser told her medics as they transferred Jack into the bed. The Colonel was still wearing part of his uniform, since Jaffer had been sprawled on his legs and no one had been able to get close enough to him to strip him and put him in something better. With the black lab now sleeping, the medics swarmed over Jack and wiped off the last of the blood, took off the last of the tattered uniform and bandaged the mostly-healed wound before dressing him in a pair of pajama bottoms and covering him warmly.  
  
Janet hooked him up to the EKG, then gave Jaffer a quick check of her own, running her hands over the black lab, looking and feeling for some injury that might explain why he was looking so off-kilter. She found a couple of very minor scratches, but nothing more. With a frown, she left the room and headed for her office and the phone.  
  
As the door closed behind her, Jaffer roused himself just enough to move his head so it was resting on Jack's thigh, then with a sigh, he closed his eyes again, and was asleep in seconds.


	23. 23

_Author's Note: WARNING: This chapter has discussion of reproduction issues. Just so you know..._

.......................

"This is all my fault," Sam said more to herself than anyone as she and Dotty walked down the corridor towards the locker rooms.  
  
"How is it your fault, Sam?" Dotty asked, curiously, looking around her. She'd never actually been on the base before like this, and was interested in seeing where Shawn spent so much of his free time.  
  
"Jack and Daniel have both been distracted all day," Sam said. "I saw it, and should have mentioned it. We'd never have been sent off-world with them acting like that."  
  
"Jack's been distracted before, hasn't he?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but not like this. He's been a million miles away all morning, and every time I ask him about it, he just tells me he's fine."  
  
"That's hardly something you can blame yourself for, Sam."  
  
"He and Daniel were arguing about something right before the Jaffa ambushed us. Daniel was just as out of it as Jack, and it was annoying him, I'm sure. I should have called them to the table on it. They never would have gotten the jump on us like that if Jack and Daniel had been paying attention. If it wasn't for Jaffer and Jack, none of us would have made it back to the gate."  
  
Dotty nodded. She didn't know what had happened, only that Jack had been mortally injured and needed her.  
  
"You can't blame yourself, Sam. Jack wouldn't blame you, and I'm sure Daniel wouldn't, either. I don't know a lot about what goes on while you're off-world, but I assume Jack and Daniel both know they're supposed to be paying attention to what's going on around them."  
  
Sam had to nod, since it was true. She still felt that she could have done more, but Dotty was right about that much. It wasn't all her fault.  
  
"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about, Dotty?" Sam asked.  
  
Shawn's mother shook her head, and looked around as the two of them walked into the locker room.  
  
"Actually, Sam, I wanted to ask you something... a bit personal. I'm not really sure this is the place to do it, though."  
  
Carter's interest was immediately piqued.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Dotty sat down on one of the benches that ran the length of the lockers. She looked up and saw she'd chosen to sit right in front of Jack's. How ironic. She smiled.  
  
"I know this is really none of my business, but are you and Jack planning on having any children?"  
  
It was the last question Sam had expected to hear, and it showed. She turned from her locker, where she'd been reaching for a clean shirt, her eyes puzzled.  
  
"I... yeah, we're... we've hoped to have a... child, eventually." She said, practically stuttering in her surprise at the odd change in the conversation. "Why do you ask?"  
  
Dotty shrugged, pretending nonchalance and doing a very good job of it. As far as she was concerned there was no reason Sam needed to know Jack had brought anything to Dotty's attention at all.  
  
"I was just wondering if you understood _how_ to conceive?"  
  
Sam blushed.  
  
"Um... yeah, we've got that part figured out, Dotty."  
  
Dotty smiled, understanding what Sam meant.  
  
"Actually, Sam, I didn't mean do you understand how _normal_ humans conceive. I meant, do you understand how you can conceive?"  
  
Now the surprise in Sam's expression turned to confusion.  
  
"What do you mean, _normal humans_? What am I?"  
  
"You're a human who used to carry a symbiote, and who works around the Stargate every day."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So when the Ancients built the Stargates, the metal they used has an odd side affect when it comes to symbiotes and those that carry them. It will render them temporarily sterile if they get too close to it. Some metalergic thing, as I understand it."  
  
"But I've conceived before, Dotty," Sam said, feeling the familiar pang of loss when she thought of the baby she and Jack had almost had. "I'm not sterile."  
  
"Sam, from what I understand, you conceived that baby away from here, right?"  
  
"Yes, at..." Sam flushed, since they'd conceived that baby in the middle of the night at a camp filled with children. "Well... yes, away from here."  
  
"It's a very delicate balance, Sam," Dotty said, ignoring the way the other woman blushed so hotly. "And I wasn't sure if you were aware of it or not. Obviously, you're not, so I'm glad I decided to bring this up." She patted the seat next to her, and Sam sat down.  
  
"When you decide you want a baby, you need to be away from the SGC – and any other place that holds a Stargate – or anything made with the metal that the Stargate is made of."  
  
"Jack and I have... um... been together... away from the SGC before." Sam objected. "We've been to his cabin a few times and to-"  
  
"And then you've come home from your mini vacation and went on a mission off-world?"  
  
Sam shrugged, "Usually."  
  
"So, you and Jack possibly could have fertilized an egg – maybe – but if you went through the gate too soon afterwards – a week or so being about the cut off – then the egg would never have had a chance to bond to your womb, and you wouldn't have conceived."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Jack was pretty banged up at camp, as I recall," Dotty interrupted.  
  
Sam nodded. "Him and Daniel both."  
  
"When you returned here, I assume General Hammond didn't allow you to go on any missions until they were healed?"  
  
"They were on light duty for almost a month," Sam confirmed.  
  
"If your pregnancy would have been normal that time, you'd have carried the baby to full term, then," Dotty said, reaching out and resting her hand lightly on Sam's forearm. She knew that the miscarriage she'd had had been painful. "But since you go through the Stargate so frequently, if you want to conceive, you're going to have to avoid any off-world travel for a couple weeks after you return from your... tryst."  
  
"And then...?"  
  
Dotty shrugged, "Gate travel isn't dangerous for pregnant women. You wouldn't hurt the baby once it was positioned safely in your womb."  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked. Dotty was secretly glad to see the excitement dawning in Carter's expression.  
  
She nodded. "Who would know better than I?"  
  
"Good point."  
  
Sam stared at Dotty for a long moment, but she wasn't actually looking at the woman, she was just looking that direction as she digested everything that she'd been told.  
  
"I hope you don't mind me sticking my nose into your business, Sam..." Dotty said.  
  
"No!" Carter smiled, her eyes lighting up. "No... I'm grateful that you did." She looked down at her hands. "I'd... been wondering – privately – why we hadn't had a baby, yet. I thought maybe I'd been damaged or something by the miscarriage, even though Janet said I was fine."  
  
"Now you know," Dotty said, smiling.  
  
Sam laughed. It was a relieved laugh, and she hugged Dotty tightly for a moment. "I can't thank you enough..." She said, feeling the sting of tears. "First Jack and Daniel... and now this... I owe you so much."  
  
"Not at all, Sam." Dotty held her tightly for a long moment, then released her. "I probably shouldn't say this, but we – we being the Ancients – owe Jack more than he'll ever know, and if making you happy makes him happy, then it's a small way we can repay him."  
  
"Jack doesn't think you owe him anything."  
  
"I know. He's wrong, though." Dotty stood up, looking at her watch. "I need to get going, Sam. James is coming home from work to take me to lunch today, and I want to be there when he gets there."  
  
"Do you want me to walk you to your car?"  
  
Dotty shook her head. "I didn't drive here. Besides, you're just a little bloody to be walking around the halls, aren't you?" She gestured at the uniform Sam was still wearing.  
  
"Yes, I suppose I am. But if you didn't drive here, how did you get here?" Sam asked. "And who called you-?"  
  
"That's a secret, Sam," Dotty said, smiling. "Someday, maybe you'll know, but not today, I'm afraid."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I'll see you later."  
  
She turned and headed for the door and left. When Sam followed her a moment later, though, the corridor was empty. Dotty had vanished.  
  
Frowning, but only for a moment, Sam went back into the locker room. She stripped out of her uniform, and couldn't help the happy smile that was on her face. When she stepped into the shower, she was singing cheerfully. She couldn't wait to tell Jack.


	24. 24

"_Jack?"  
  
He opened his eyes, and saw Dotty was with him once more.  
  
"Dotty?"  
  
Jack looked around him, trying to see who had been talking to him before. As promised, the voice hadn't left him when Dotty had. The deep, loving voice had been talking to him nonstop, reminding him that he needed to stay awake, and when he'd faltered and tried to fall asleep anyways, the voice was the only thing that had kept him awake. Dotty herself probably couldn't have brought him back, but the love and aching need that Jack felt intermingled with the masculine voice in his mind was more than even Jack could ignore. He'd responded, although it'd been the hardest thing he'd ever done.  
  
"It's okay, Jack," Dotty told him, coming over and sitting down on the edge of his bed.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
Dotty knew immediately who Jack was referring to, of course. She smiled down at him.  
  
"He's resting, Jack. You can rest, too, now. It's all right."  
  
Jack found that he wasn't as tired as he'd been before. Sleep sounded good, but he didn't have the overwhelming need to rest now that he'd had before.  
  
"I can't... I have to find Sam."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"To apologize."  
  
"It'll wait, Jack." Dotty's hand rested lightly on his chest, and he felt so tired suddenly that his eyes closed and all thoughts of getting up and finding Sam faded. "Rest, now. Talk to Sam later."  
  
"But..." He trailed off, soothed by her gentle touch. There was something he needed to ask Dotty, but he couldn't remember what it was, and it wasn't long before he was asleep.  
  
Dotty watched him sleep for a moment, and felt the presence that was always with Jack rouse itself.  
  
"You should be resting," She said gently.  
  
"I'm fine." The voice sounded tired, but satisfied.  
  
She smiled. "You sound more and more like him every day."  
  
"It's only natural, I suppose." The voice was tinged with humor, now. "I do spend a lot of time with him."  
  
"You're doing so much better than anyone could have hoped."  
  
"Flattery will get you everywhere."  
  
"It's not flattery if it's the truth."  
  
There was a mental shrug, and Dotty could feel the exhaustion in the other.  
  
"Get some rest. I have things to go do."  
  
"Thank you for coming."  
  
"All you need do is call."  
  
She felt him fall back to sleep, and waited a moment longer, enjoying a chance to be with him like this, and then sighed and left the two of them to their rest.  
  
_"I can't find anything wrong with him."  
  
Sam heard Monica Ray's voice as she quietly entered Jack's room. The vet and Janet Fraiser were standing next to O'Neill's bed, but their focus wasn't on the sleeping Colonel, it was on the black lab that was sprawled next to him.  
  
Jaffer's vet looked over at Sam when she entered the room and smiled.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
Sam nodded, echoing the smile. She felt great.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"We're just trying to figure out why Jaffer here looks like a blanket."  
  
"What did you find?"  
  
"Aside from a lot of blood that isn't his, nothing."  
  
"He had a busy morning, Monica. Maybe he's just tired?"  
  
"Maybe." She didn't look all that convinced, but she'd given him as thorough an exam as she could with him cuddled so close to Jack – who looked like shit, Monica thought, although she didn't ask what had happened to him. Janet Fraiser had told her that Jack and his team had run into some trouble on a mission, and while Monica had a feeling there was a lot more to it than that, she also knew that whatever it was Jack and the others did, it was top secret, and she didn't press. "When he wakes up, I want you to see if he'll eat, Sam. If he doesn't, then I want you to bring him to my office."  
  
Carter nodded. If Jaffer wasn't eating, it was a sure sign something was wrong.  
  
"And clean the blood off him, too. He looks awful."  
  
"I will, Monica." Sam promised. "As soon as he wakes up."  
  
It was a lot harder to get dried blood out of fur than it was to simply wash it off skin, which was why Jack was cleaned off, and Jaffer looked like he'd been rolling in the stuff.  
  
"How about a cup of coffee?" Janet asked Monica. She had a feeling Sam wanted a little time alone with Jack, even though O'Neill probably wasn't going to wake up any time soon, and from the looks of it Jaffer wasn't, either.  
  
The vet nodded, "Sounds good."  
  
Fraiser turned to Sam. "If he wakes up, have them page me."  
  
"I will."  
  
The two doctors left the room, closing the door behind them, and Sam sat down on the edge of Jack's bed – on the opposite side that Jaffer was on. She rested her hand lightly on his cheek, wishing he'd wake up so she could tell him her good news, but knowing that it was probably better that he get the rest he needed.  
  
She moved her hand from his cheek to Jaffer's head, which was resting heavily on Jack's thigh, but the black lab didn't acknowledge her touch, either. She would have told him, if he'd have woken up to listen.  
  
"Doctor Fraiser says he is going to be fine."  
  
Sam looked up, hardly surprised that Teal'c had managed to enter the room and walk over to the bed without her hearing him. He was far lighter on his feet than he looked. Jack was next to him, the yellow lab still damp from his recent bath. Sam could relate, since her hair was still wet from her shower.  
  
"That's what she told me, too."  
  
She leaned against Teal'c as he sat down on Jack's bed as well, but she didn't tell him her news. Jack was the one she wanted to tell first.  
  
"Did you see Daniel?" She asked him.  
  
"He's sleeping, as well."  
  
Sam nodded. She'd go check on Daniel in a few minutes, just to see for herself that he was resting comfortably, but for now it was comforting to be near Jack, with Teal'c's solid presence close at hand. They'd come so close to disaster that day, and Sam was well aware that Dotty was all that had kept this morning from being the worst in her life.  
  
Jack eyed the space left on the bed, and apparently decided there was enough room, because a moment later the yellow lab jumped up onto the bed, and flopped down on Jack, resting his head near Jaffer's. Sam smiled, thinking that Janet would probably have a fit if she saw that, but she didn't tell the lab to get down. There was no way he could be hurting Jack, since Jaffer had been on him like that, and Jaffer weighed a lot more than his brother did. Besides, she owed Jack far more than that, since the yellow lab had been just as effective as Jaffer had in breaking up the ambush. 


	25. 25

It was Jaffer who woke first. Sam was sitting by herself next to Jack, her hand gently caressing his cheek as she watched him sleep when she suddenly saw the black lab's brown eyes open slowly. He raised his head, and Sam watched as he looked around, first at Jack, who was still sleeping soundly, then up at Sam.  
  
"Hey, little man," Sam whispered softly, smiling in relief to see him awake.  
  
The lab's tail thumped lightly against the blanket as he greeted her with a silent hello, and Sam reached down and ran her hand along his jowls, feeling the stiff blood-encrusted fur there. She smiled again when he turned his head and licked her fingers, tiredly.  
  
"How do you feel?" She murmured, completely unconcerned that the same mouth that was so close to her vulnerable fingers had ripped out a man's throat and had threatened a lot of medical personnel. Sam trusted Jaffer completely.  
  
"_You_ need a bath, mister."  
  
He snorted.  
  
Sam smiled.  
  
"Was that a yes? Or a no?"  
  
Jaffer laid his head back down, this time it was in the vicinity of Jack's bare stomach, and he closed his eyes once more – although his tail continued to wag idly.  
  
"Okay. No bath, yet," Sam conceded. "We'll wait until Jack wakes up, and he can give you one himself." Of course, there was no way she'd make Jack do that, but it was fun to say, anyways, and Sam felt a lot of her worry fading. Jaffer was awake, and seemed to be fine – as far as she could tell. It was only a matter of time until Jack woke as well.  
  
"Can I tell you a secret, Jaffer?" Sam whispered, shifting on the bed until she was stretched out with her head resting lightly on Jack's belly as well, her nose only inches from Jaffer's.  
  
The black lab opened his eyes, again, watching her. Carter took it as a yes, and inched even closer, smiling.  
  
"_I can have a baby_." She whispered.  
  
Jaffer's tongue lashed out before Sam had a chance to dodge it, and it was devastating. She moved back a little, but the damage was done and she was covered with slobber in an instant.  
  
"Gah... that's cheating."  
  
Jaffer's cheerful eyes looked back at her, completely unrepentant. Yeah, he cheated a _lot_. He'd learned from the best, after all, when it came to getting the upper hand anyway possible.  
  
"Daniel..."  
  
Both of them turned at the sound of Jack's voice. His eyes were closed, and his face was pinched with pain and worry. Sam wasn't sure if he was awake or not. She reached over and took his hand.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
His grip tightened on her hand, but his eyes didn't open, and he didn't react to her voice beyond the tightening of his grip.  
  
"_Daniel_!" He sat up so quickly that Sam was actually knocked off the bed. She tumbled to the floor in a heap, her hand releasing his, but his still clutching tightly to hers. He was pulled sideways by her fall and toppled off the bed as well, landing on her upturned knee.  
  
_That_ woke him up, completely and immediately.  
  
"_Youch_!"  
  
He rolled off her, clutching at his chest, which was bandaged but had very little else to protect the wound from being aggravated. Luckily, Dotty had healed him enough that even the hard landing hadn't reopened the injury, and he sat up, scowling as he rubbed his chest and looked around. Sam was sprawled on the floor next to him, and Jaffer was looking over the edge of the bed at him.  
  
"Carter?" He winced, and closed his eyes for a second.  
  
"Are you all right?" Sam asked, concerned.  
  
"What happened? Where's Daniel?" Last he'd seen, Daniel had been knocked back by a blast from a staff weapon. A staff weapon held by a Jaffa. He opened his eyes, realizing they'd been ambushed, and he couldn't remember coming back to the SGC, which is where he was as far as he could tell. "Are you all right?"  
  
She nodded, standing up and carefully helping him get back onto the bed, where he sat gratefully, reaching his free hand out to Jaffer, idly. He felt the difference in the black lab's coat immediately, of course. Only dead would Jack have missed such an obvious stiffness in what was usually a glossy, silky hide. He looked from Sam over to Jaffer, and frowned in concern.  
  
"Blood?"  
  
"It's not his," Sam reassured him, quickly. "Things got a little... hairy... and Jaffer ended up ripping the throat out of one of the attackers. We just- "  
  
"You did that?" Jack turned to Jaffer once more, his hand resting on the lab's head. "Killed him?" He asked Sam.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"_That's my boy_!"  
  
Sam decided not to comment on that, but Jack was already turning from Jaffer – even though his hands were running along the big lab's body, looking for injuries, as he was prone to do whenever he thought there might be a hurt on his baby.  
  
"Daniel's okay?"  
  
"He was hit in the leg..." Sam said, sitting down on the other side of Jack. "But he's going to be fine."  
  
"Was it serious?" Jack had finished his chest of Jaffer, and was absently rubbing his chest once more. It seemed to him that he remembered things being... bad... he just couldn't get hold of the elusive memory.  
  
"It _was_." Sam told him. "It's not, anymore."  
  
"What does that mean, Sam?"  
  
"You were... hurt, seriously, Jack," Carter said, unable to hide the agony in her voice at the remembrance of how it felt to be told he was dying. "Daniel was, too."  
  
"But I'm okay?"  
  
He looked down at himself, and saw the bandage on his chest, but he certainly didn't feel like he'd been hurt all that seriously. If anything, landing on Sam had hurt far worse than anything else.  
  
"Dotty came and healed you – like she did that time you and Jaffer took on that assassin."  
  
"And Daniel?"  
  
Sam nodded.  
  
"She healed him, too."  
  
"I need to see him." He had to make sure he was okay.  
  
"He's sleeping. Janet gave him an injection to make him sleep."  
  
"I need to see him, Sam."  
  
Jack was already getting to his feet, swaying as he tried to gain his equilibrium. He reached for her, and she held his hand tightly, giving him the support he needed. It was obvious to her that he was going to go, one way or the other. Sam stood up as well, and put his arm over her shoulder.  
  
"Only for a minute, though, okay?"  
  
He nodded, and Jaffer hopped off the bed, and stumbled as he landed. Obviously, the black lab was still feeling a bit of a side affect from his own exhausted state. Jack frowned.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
Jaffer wagged his tail, apologetically. He was fine!  
  
"Monica said to feed him when he woke up."  
  
"Have you?"  
  
"He just woke up a minute before you did. I haven't had a chance."  
  
"That'll be the next stop."  
  
It was reassuring that Monica had been to see Jaffer. Jack could believe there was nothing wrong with him if his vet had cleared him, although he didn't like to see his baby coated with blood – no matter how he got it all over him. A bath was definitely in order. But first things first.  
  
"Where's Daniel?" 


	26. 26

_She hadn't really intended to come. She'd been warned away from one, and there was no indication that this one was any less off-limits. But she'd come anyways. She was drawn to him by her own curiosity and by the fact that she knew he'd been hurt.  
  
He opened his eyes when he felt her close by, and looked up at her from his bed.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to check on you. To see how you were."  
  
"So how am I?"  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"I'm not a doctor."  
  
"Well, thanks for stopping by." Sarcasm wasn't normally his forte, but he'd been around Jack a long time, and was a quick learner. She smiled.  
  
"I warned you to keep an eye on him."  
  
"I tried!" Daniel was well aware that he was to blame for Jack being hurt. "I-"  
  
"You are not to blame."  
  
They didn't see anyone, but there was suddenly a presence with them that both of them felt quite clearly. A powerful one. Xara shied away from it, but Daniel felt only friendship and love from it.  
  
"I was told he was in danger and I didn't-"  
  
"Daniel." The masculine voice cut him off. "Watching Jack O'Neill is not_ your _responsibility. It is_ mine_. She placed a duty on you that she had no business handing you. An impossible duty. And it distracted you. Much as other things she said distracted Jack. This will not happen again."  
  
There was a menace in the voice, now, and still Daniel felt no fear. The menace was real, but it wasn't aimed at him. It was focused on Xara.  
  
"You've been warned away."  
  
"From_ Jack_."  
  
"From_ all of them_!" Now there was anger as well. "You have worn out your welcome, and put them in jeopardy with your warnings and mysticism. Stay away from all of them. Return, and I'll kill you myself."  
  
Daniel absently thought that the threat sounded like something Jack would say.  
  
"I didn't come to them, they came to me."  
  
"You're here, now."  
  
"I'm curious."  
  
"Stay away. From all of them."  
  
"You can't keep-"  
  
The defiant words were interrupted by a familiar snarl, and a moment later Xara was gone and the two of them were alone.  
  
"Did you kill her?"  
  
There was a surge of amusement.  
  
"Nah, but she's not going to come back, I promise you."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The inquisitive part of Daniel was alive and well, obviously.  
  
"That would be telling, Daniel." The voice said, still amused. "Get some rest."  
  
"But-"  
  
He started to say something else, but the presence was gone and he was alone.  
_  
"Easy..."  
  
"I'm fine, Sam."  
  
Jack eased himself into the chair by Daniel's bed, unable to stay on his feet too long. Daniel was asleep in his bed, but he had good color, and he looked like he was just sleeping. Which was what Sam had said. He wasn't even hooked up to any machinery.  
  
"He went a little crazy when he woke up," Sam explained, sitting down on the edge of Daniel's bed. Jaffer came over and sat next to Jack, leaning against his leg, and O'Neill scratched his ears as he watched Daniel sleep. "So Janet put him out and said she was going to keep him out until he woke up on his own."  
  
"When's he going to wake up?"  
  
"Sometime tonight."  
  
They turned at the sound of the new voice. Janet Fraiser was standing in the doorway, frowning.  
  
"You're not supposed to be out of bed."  
  
Jack gave her an innocent look.  
  
"You didn't tell me I had to stay in bed."  
  
"How do you feel?" She came over and ran her hand along his cheek and forehead, checking for fever. He had good color, and she couldn't see any indication that he was in much pain.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Uh huh." That was the _usual_ answer. She was looking for something a little more specific. "No pain?"  
  
"A little. How's Daniel?"  
  
"He's sleeping. Did you feel any serious pain while you were walking here?"  
  
"Just a little stiff. When will he wake up?"  
  
"When his medication wears off. Let's get you back to bed so I can check out that wound."  
  
"It's fine, Doc," Jack said, scowling when she stepped between him and Daniel's bed so she could get his full attention.  
  
"It's not fine until I say it is, Colonel." Janet said, wondering what it was about Jack that made him argue with her.  
  
"Doc..."  
  
"Colonel. He's not going to wake up any time soon. Get back in your own bed before I decide to give you a shot, too. With a _big_ needle."  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"_Now_, Colonel."  
  
He sighed, and got to his feet, hiding the grimace of pain when he stretched the stiff muscles in his chest with the motion. Yeah, that was a little painful. Janet noticed immediately, and she gave him her arm for a bit of support, which he accepted gratefully, even though he knew it would give her that much more ammunition to keep him in bed. He'd work on that later. First he actually had to make it back to his bed.  
  
Sam took the other side, sliding her arm around his waist, more to simply hold him than to give him support, although he did lean against her, allowing her to take a bit of his weight off his tired legs. The two women helped him back to his room under the watchful eye of Jaffer, who trailed enough behind that no one would trip over him. As soon as Jack was back in bed, the black lab hopped up beside him, causing Janet to scowl – although she didn't tell him to get down. It wasn't like he was going to listen to her if she told him to. He was a lot like Jack, she noticed – not for the first time.  
  
"Sam? I need you to give us a little alone time, please." It was a lot easier to examine someone when there wasn't someone else hovering over you, worrying. "Would you go let General Hammond know Colonel O'Neill's awake?"  
  
Sam didn't want to leave, but she knew that Janet had to have a reason to send her away or she wouldn't have. She squeezed Jack's hand gently, "I'll be right back."  
  
He nodded, giving her that smile that was reserved only for her. It was the tired version, but it reached his eyes and lit them up.  
  
"I'll be here." 


	27. 27

By the time Sam returned with General Hammond in tow, Frasier had given Jack a thorough check-up, complete with about a million questions about what hurt and what didn't, and running her hands pretty much everywhere on his body to check for changes in his reflexes and various aches and pains. She found he was in very good shape all things considered. His chest was wounded, but hardly badly enough to worry her. Dotty had mostly healed it, and what little was left to do would heal on its own nicely. She rebandaged him tightly, promising him that he'd only have to wear a bandage for a couple of days, and that was mostly just because she was being cautious.  
  
"How is he, Doctor?" Hammond asked, walking into the room and smiling to see Jack sitting up in his bed. God, only hours before he'd been dying, and now he was upright and talking, and looking as good as he ever had.  
  
"He's fine, Sir," Janet said, echoing the General's smile, and looking over at O'Neill, who was allowing them to talk about him like he wasn't there – at least for a while. He was ready to get up. He didn't like Sam worrying about him, and he didn't like being in bed when he could be on his feet doing something constructive – even if that was just bothering the eggheads working on the gate. Besides, hadn't he told her he was fine?  
  
"And Doctor Jackson?"  
  
"He's even better. As soon as he wakes up and I give him a check-up I'll probably release him for a couple days of light duty."  
  
"And Colonel O'Neill?"  
  
"He'll spend the night here, and I'll release him to light duty as well. A week or so."  
  
Hammond nodded.  
  
"Hey? I feel fine. I could go home, now." Jack was tired of them making his plans for him, now.  
  
Fraiser shook her head. "Tomorrow."  
  
"_Tonight_."  
  
"Colonel." This was from Hammond, who was ready to back up his chief medical officer. "You'll stay as long as Doctor Fraiser tells you to, and you'll be a model patient." There was no doubting that this was an order, and Jack hid his scowl fairly well.  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
Hammond nodded, and left the room to go check on Daniel, taking Fraiser with him so she could give him a complete report on his condition. Coincidentally, it left Jack alone with Sam and Jaffer, and Carter came over and sat on the edge of his bed once more, looking at him with a slight smile on her face.  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"I'm fine, Sam." He patted the spot next to him, inviting her to come and cuddle a little. No one would enter his room without knocking, and the door was closed, so they could have a little privacy. She accepted his invitation, and stretched out beside him on the bed, although she was on the blankets and he was under them. She rested her head against his shoulder, and her hand on his belly, just inches from Jaffer's nose.  
  
"Jaffer really needs a bath," She said, reaching out and touching the blood- encrusted fur.  
  
"I'll give him one later."  
  
"Janet won't let you."  
  
"I won't ask permission." He told her. "She said I had to stay on base, nothing about staying in bed."  
  
Sam shook her head, but didn't argue with him. She was debating whether or not now was the time to bring up her conversation with Dotty, or she should wait until they were off the base and could have even more privacy.  
  
Jaffer's nose nudged her fingers, and she looked down at the black lab once more, amazed to see him watching her intently, almost as if he knew what she was thinking and was telling her to go for it. She smiled, and gave a purely mental shrug. Why not?  
  
"I had a talk with Dotty Adams earlier."  
  
She felt Jack tense under her arm and cheek, and wondered why.  
  
"Oh? About what?" There was something odd in his voice, but Sam wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't anything she recognized.  
  
"Babies."  
  
"Babies?" Jack turned his head so he could look at her completely. "Shawn?"  
  
"_Babies_, Jack." Sam said with a smile. "Not young teenagers. _Our_ baby in particular."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
She nodded, smiling.  
  
"Apparently, we've been doing things wrong if we want a baby."  
  
He smiled, unable to hide his amusement. "I'm pretty sure we've been doing it right, Sam."  
  
She laughed, blushing just a little. "That's not what I meant, smart ass."  
  
"I know, sorry. Couldn't help myself. What do you mean?"  
  
Sam told him what Dotty had told her, explaining about how they needed a special set of circumstances in order for her to conceive. Nothing incredibly complicated, but tricky enough that they'd just never had the perfect set of conditions – aside from the disastrous miscarriage right after they'd returned from camp. That was why they hadn't conceived. He was quiet as he listened to her explain it, and Sam actually looked at him a couple times to see if he'd fallen asleep, since he never listened so intently to her, but each time she looked his eyes were open and he was watching her with what could only be called relief.  
  
"So we can have a baby?" Jack asked, once she'd finished explaining things to him.  
  
Sam smiled at the way he said it, and nodded.  
  
"Whenever we want to," She confirmed.  
  
He nodded, and gave her a hug, feeling elation coursing through him. So, she wasn't sterile – or worse, and Dotty had figured out why they didn't have a house full of kids, apparently.  
  
"That's great news." He couldn't think of a better word than great, although he wished he could, since great just didn't seem good enough. It was enough for Sam, though, and she nodded, still smiling.  
  
"Yes."  
  
He tilted her head up with his free hand, and bent to kiss her. He shouldn't have – not while they were on base – but he had to. The fact that he was alive, and she could have his baby whenever they decided to have it was just too much to hold in with just a hug. The kiss was gentle to start with, but Sam's response was electric and the two were panting by the time they separated.  
  
"This probably isn't the time or place to..." Jack said, breathlessly. She never failed to arouse him, no matter what the circumstances.  
  
Sam giggled, hiding her face against his shoulder to muffle the noise.  
  
"You're probably right," she agreed, a moment later. "It's definitely not the place." She kissed him again, though, but not as heatedly. Then she sat up on the bed, knowing that she needed a little space, or they very well could have gone further.  
  
Jack looked up at her, running his hand along her hip.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sam."  
  
"For what?" She asked, surprised by the sudden apology and the serious look in his eyes.  
  
"The ambush was my fault. I was distracted, and had no business going anywhere in that state of mind. I could have gotten all of you killed."  
  
"I should have said something," Sam said, shaking her head. "I noticed you were distracted – _Daniel_ was, too – I should have said something to Hammond. He wouldn't have allowed us to go."  
  
Jack shook his head, ready to argue about it, but Sam put her hand on his cheek to stop him before he could say anything.  
  
"Jack... it's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. Daniel and Teal'c are both fine, too. It could have been really bad, but it's not, and we'll know better next time." She leaned over him, and kissed him lightly once more, shivering when he took the opportunity to caress her tenderly.  
  
They both smiled when she sat up once more, and she moved her hand from Jack's belly to Jaffer, who was a lot safer to touch in her current state. The black lab shifted position and rolled over, giving Sam access to his belly. He wanted a good scratching, too, and got double that when Sam and Jack both gave him the attention he so obviously wanted. With a sigh, the lab closed his eyes, lolling on the bed and basking in the love that was surrounding him and washing over him. Yeah, it was a good day to be alive. 


	28. Epilogue

_Epilogue  
_  
"I'm going to _need_ that..."  
  
Jack tugged on the brush, ignoring the growls that were reverberating through the shower area of the locker room. The water was streaming down on him and his black lab, but it wasn't hitting him directly on his injured chest, so it was bearable for him, and Jaffer, of course, was loving it.  
  
"I swear... you're _going_ to be a rug..."  
  
He never came up with new threats. He never needed to. Jaffer growled again as Jack tugged harder – although not hard enough to make the muscles of his chest protest – and the handle of the scrub brush stayed clenched tightly in his teeth, his brown eyes cheerful, and his tail wagging idly.  
  
"You don't want me to get the blood off you?"  
  
Well, yeah, there _was_ that. He _did_ want Jack to get the blood off him. Without warning, Jaffer let go of the brush, and overbalanced, Jack went toppling backwards, landing flat on his back half in the tiled shower area, and half out of it.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
He looked up to see Daniel and Sam standing over him, and a moment later heard an excited bark as Jack came rushing into the locker room, hurdled Jack and landed in the shower with Jaffer, who was still sitting under the stream of water.  
  
"I'm bathing Jaffer – well, _showering_ Jaffer, I suppose." He said, turning his head as Teal'c came to join the other two standing over him.  
  
"Doctor Fraiser would _not_ approve of this, O'Neill." The Jaffa said.  
  
"Yeah, well, she went home for the day."  
  
"General Hammond-"  
  
"He's gone, too, Daniel." Jack said, struggling up into a sitting position. "I'm ranking officer on the base right now, which means if I want to give my bloody dog a bath – _shower_ – I can."  
  
"You shouldn't be out of bed," Sam said, smiling despite her concern. She'd went to Jack's to pick up a few things he'd need for his enforced overnight stay – mostly stuff for Jaffer – and had returned to his room to find him the black lab gone.  
  
"I'm fine, Sam."  
  
He looked fine she had to admit. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, his dog tags, and a soggy bandage on his chest and aside from a few soap bubbles here and there he looked about like he always did. No pained expression, no sign of discomfort. In fact, he had a grin on his face from playing in the water with Jaffer, which Sam knew from experience was one of his favorite past times.  
  
"You're going to hurt yourself." Daniel told him.  
  
"Do _you_ want to bathe him?"  
  
"Um... no."  
  
"Do _you_ want to sleep with him with Jaffa blood all over him?"  
  
"Well... no."  
  
"There ya go."  
  
Jaffer came over and wormed his way into Jack's arms, resting his nose just above the bandages. Jack came over and snuffled the Colonel as well; just to make sure Jaffer wasn't getting something Jack should be getting too. When he realized Jack was handing out loving, the yellow lab wormed his way into O'Neill's arms, too, and Jack was knocked backwards once more.  
  
Daniel took his shirt off with a sigh and stepped over Jack and the dogs, then stooped down and took the brush from O'Neill's hand and went further into the shower, wearing just his pajama bottoms. Fraiser had decided that he needed to spend the night in her infirmary as well, so he was already dressed for bed.  
  
"C'mere, Jaffer," Daniel said, kneeling under the spray and grabbing up the soap Jack had been using. The black lab ambled over, followed by Jack, and Sam helped O'Neill back up into a sitting position.  
  
"Hey, I _need_ that!" Daniel said, frowning when Jaffer grabbed the brush in his teeth and pulled it out of Daniel's soapy hand.  
  
Jack smiled, and leaned against the wall, still sitting on the wet tiled floor of the shower, but now out of the spray. He'd let Daniel have a taste of what he dealt with all the time, and then he'd finish the bath that he'd started if Daniel couldn't figure out how to bathe a mischievous dog.  
  
..................  
  
"So..."  
  
It was much later that evening, and Jack was back in his bed in the private infirmary room where he was supposed to be, fresh bandage on his chest and slightly damp – but extremely clean and strawberry smelling – dog stretched out at the foot of the bed keeping his toes warm.  
  
"_So_?"  
  
Sam's voice was a gentle sound in the quiet of the room. They were lying in the dark, Sam cuddled snugly against him, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand idly caressing his stomach.  
  
"Should I tell Hammond we need some vacation time or an assignment away from the Stargate for a few weeks?"  
  
Sam smiled. It was wonderful to be able to talk about this. Even better that they'd now be able to control _when_ they were going to have their children. Not everyone had that opportunity, after all. She was done worrying if there was something wrong with her, now that she knew what their problem had been. She owed Dotty so much.  
  
"Let's hold off just a little longer, Jack," Sam said, nuzzling his neck. "I'm not ready to give up going on missions, just yet." Someone needed to watch him and Daniel. Jaffer and Jack were only _two_ dogs, after all. Formidable, yes, but until they could be trained how to shoot guns, they were limited to how lethal they could be. Although Jaffer had certainly proven himself capable of killing when he wanted to.  
  
"It's your decision, Sam," he told her, softly, smiling in the dark. He wasn't ready to give up having her on missions just yet, either, but he hadn't wanted to say anything. If she was ready, then he was ready, but he wasn't going to rush her into anything. "We know how to do it, now. There's no hurry."  
  
Her hand sidled slightly lower, and he could feel her cheek tightening against his bare shoulder as she smiled.  
  
"I thought you said we already were doing it right?"  
  
Jack grinned, and moved her hand, reluctantly. This still wasn't the place, or the time – since the door to his room wasn't locked and who knew when someone would come knocking to see if he needed anything. But God, he _loved_ it when she teased him – verbally and physically.  
  
"I think we're doing just fine." He told her, wrapping her in his arms as tightly as his aching chest would allow.  
  
"I think so, too, Jack," Sam agreed, kissing him, and then shifting a little so she wasn't resting any weight on him. Janet had told her that she was going to have the night medics put a sedative in Jack's last drink of the evening to make sure he slept – which he'd drank about ten minutes before, and Sam was going to stay with him until he fell asleep, then slip out and leave him and Jaffer to their rest.

He, of course, didn't understand why he was dozing off when he felt wide awake only minutes before, but assumed it was because Sam and Jaffer were with him. Jack always felt better when they were close. He closed his eyes, his hand holding hers again, and Sam could actually feel him fall asleep. She waited until she was certain he was out, then slipped out of his arms and pulled the covers up over the bandages on his chest.  
  
Kissing him softly, then shifting to the foot of the bed to press a gentle kiss against Jaffer's damp nose, Sam smiled at the black lab, whose dark eyes were gleaming cheerfully in the faint glow of the light coming from under the door leading to the hallway.  
  
"I'll be back in the morning, little man," She whispered, running her fingers through his silky damp fur. "You keep the bad dreams away, for me, okay?"  
  
Jaffer snorted in reply, and Carter grinned. Sometimes she had to admit Jack was right; it did seem that Jaffer was just going to start talking to them any minute. He certainly spoke volumes with those eyes. She kissed Jaffer again, just because she couldn't resist, and then left the room, closing the door softly behind her. She'd go check and make sure Daniel was asleep, and then she'd head home.  
  
Jaffer watched as she closed the door, then got up and moved to his regular position against Jack's side. It was one thing to be the foot warmer when Sam was there, but when no one else was cuddling his Jack, that spot was all his. He snuggled close, and even drugged, Jack reacted to his nearness by putting his arm around him. Jaffer sighed contentedly at the touch, and rested his nose on the blanket covering Jack's stomach, then closed his eyes.  
  
_"How's he doing?"  
  
"He's fine. I'll finish the healing you started, and he'll be at full mobility in a couple days."  
  
"The Seer is searching for him again."  
  
"She'll never find him. She won't find any of them. I won't allow her to tamper with his thoughts any further."  
  
"You shielded him?"  
  
"No. I blocked her abilities. No more snooping around in other peoples' minds while they sleep."  
  
"That was a little harsh..."  
  
"She's lucky I didn't kill her."  
  
"_You're _lucky you were there before she had a chance to see anything she shouldn't have."  
  
There was a murmur of agreement, and he felt her gentle caress against him for a moment, a caress he returned, lovingly.  
  
"You'd better go." He told her. "I have work to do." Even as he spoke, she saw him establish a very tiny trickle of healing energy between him and Jack. Not a lot, but then, he didn't need a lot.  
  
"I love you, father."  
  
She felt a surge of love from him in reply, and left him to his work. She had work to do, too. Things were moving faster and faster, now, and they had to be ready.  
_  
The End!  
  
Author's Note: Okay, so you have a taste of what Jaffer is, although it's only a taste. Comments and suggestions are welcomed, of course! As is feedback on the story. As usual, I'd like to know what you liked and didn't, and what lines appealed to you. Too much mush with Sam and Jack? Not enough? All the usual. Baby will come, but I'm traditional, so the marriage will most likely come, first. Keep watching!


End file.
